


What If OverMaster Had Written Decadent Habits?

by OverMaster



Category: Boku wa Tomodachi ga Sukunai | Haganai, Mahou Sensei Negima, Mai HiME, To love ru
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-11-10
Updated: 2014-02-09
Packaged: 2018-01-01 03:00:41
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 162,174
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1039558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OverMaster/pseuds/OverMaster
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A different interpretation of Darkenning's erotica magnum opus. Contains several common continuity elements with it and Unequally Rational and Emotional. Authorized and proofreaded by Darkenning himself.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Period Zero: Arika

The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery.

Mahou Sensei Negima and all related elements belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization and proofreading.

I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

 

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**

* * *

 

**Period Zero: Arika.**

* * *

 

_**Then:** _

_In the middle of the gigantic construct overlooking the ruins of Old Ostia, under a gray and thundering sky, Kagurazaka Asuna hung suspended in hibernation, forced into a beautiful dark red dress, her long skirt fluttering around her, her long twin tails dancing in the electricity of the air contained within the bubble holding her captive. Her hands were held still by glowing golden rings that slowly spun around her wrists. Before her, the Master Key, the large instrument holding the secrets to a whole world's rebuilding, floated weightlessly._

_Two figures stood watch right outside the bubble, their eyes fixed on the miracle in proccess above them -- a slim pale girl with short gray hair, clad in a boyish dark uniform, and another girl, curvier, and somewhat taller, with long light brown hair and closed eyes, in a long and frilly white and black dress, with a violin in her hands._

_"It can't be stopped anymore," the pale girl commented, as though more or less detached from the subject. "Even if they were to arrive here now, there is no way to extricate the Twilight Princess. It is done. All we need do now is wait for the rebirth."_

* * *

 

_Inugami Kotaro, Kobushi Abiru, Fujiyoshi Harumi and Murakami Natsumi stood behind the worn down brick wall, breathing heavily, sweat pooling on their foreheads. So far, Natsumi had done her job of taking them deep into the enemy's secret sanctuary with her Artifact. While she would have prefered to be at her Magister's side at this vital moment, she understood the need for this step of the operation and her contribution to it. She only wished she could have had some of her friends there, like Chizu-nee, or Iinchou. She felt like she didn't exactly belong with Kotaro-kun and his roommates and Ministra, nice as they were. Well, he, at least, was nice._

_Once again, Natsumi's mind went back over the events of her life during the past few months (never a reassuring sign when you're in a life threatening situation). She vividly remembered being introduced, along her whole class, to Negi Springfield, their new homeroom and English teacher, who was only a child ... the most adorable, able and polite charming child she had ever met, but a child regardless. She remembered being saved by him from a nasty fall during one of her play rehearsals, in a way that didn't make full sense until she learned, during the School Festival, that he actually was a magical prodigy from Wales' Merdiana Academy._

_By that point, she had already fallen hopelessy in love with him._

_But Negi, she knew, already had his heart set on someone else. One of his roommates, and his first Ministra, the often sour, distant, and emotionally complex Hasegawa Chisame. She was at his side right now, while Natsumi froze under a powerful icy wind with Negi's best friend and his two scary sempai Ministra, tightening her black opera cape around herself, and keeping the mask of her Artifact on her face, despite the wind's best attempts to yank it away._

_Life was unfair, but the freckled, insecure, always upstaged Natsumi was well used to that by now._

_"Now, Nee-chan," Kotaro's voice pulled her from her daydreaming. "Fast."_

_She nodded, going with them as fast as they could, taking advantage of Quintum's wandering away after he passed dangerously near them in his patrol. One of the three Averrunci on the employ of the organization they were opposing, with a fourth one currently in unknown whereabouts with the criminal archfiend known only as the Joker. All of them highly dangerous and deadly, and none of them would have a chance against them in a direct confontation._

_Only Negi-kun._

_Her Negi-kun._

_And he was going to face these monsters._

_They had to act quickly, for him. The sooner they pulled Asuna-san from that prison, the sooner they could retreat, hopefully before Negi-kun had to fight anyone else. That awful Dynamis person, the one who had killed Yuuna's mother back in the day, had already nearly killed him. And what was even worse in a way, Negi had almost killed him too, turning into that horrible beast for a moment ... before Chisame forced him to regain his wits._

_Always Chisame._

_She forced herself to ignore the tears trickling down her green eyes as she ran with them._

* * *

 

_And then, it was done. The gigantic blast from Chachamaru's satellite fell directly on Tertium, shooting him down all the way through the levels of the collapsing floating citadel and into the continent below, making Shirabe desperately yell for him. Kotaro took the moment's chance to leap from Natsumi's cloaking and slam a hand onto Sextum's chest, sending her crashing back against a crumbling wall before she could react. Harumi was just glad her advice on forgetting that gentleman crap while everyone's fate was in the balance had finally paid off._

_Meanwhile, with a valiant cry of "Eeeeee-HOP!" Makie jumped ahead and swung with the magical ribbon she had gotten from her Pactio with Skuld-chan. The divinity-enhanced Artifact latched onto the Master Key and pulled it swiftly towards Makie even as Shirabe reeled from the shock, then received a magic sealing bullet to the face courtesy of Yuuna._

_It was working. It really was. They were working it out without Negi-kun._

_Then it happened. A burst of flame flew directly towards Makie, zooming past them all._

_As it happened, only one of them was close enough to block the attack. With his own body. Banpei-kun, Skuld's personal robot aid, had thrown himself up to be torn into wildly flying pieces by the shooting spear of fire, his eyes turning themselves off before his head plummeted down into the abyss._

_"Ba-- Banpei-san!" Chachamaru cried._

_"Banpei-kun!" Skuld wailed._

_The element of surprise on her side now, Sextum recovered quickly and froze Kotaro, Yuuna and Sayo in quick succession. But even she had to pause then, as she looked up at the group who had just arrived, standing together on an upper level of the wrecked battlefield. With a sadistically grinning Quartum at the lead, and with the Joker smugly smiling a short distance behind, Tsukuyomi at his side, a collection of some of the worst, most lethal villains in both Mundus Magicus and Vetus readied themselves to do battle._

* * *

 

_The terrible three way battle that ensued between those who wished to save the world, those who sought to remake it, and those who just wanted to see it burn, raged out of control, with Negi seemingly into the midst of it all, quickly forced into a desperate alliance with Sextum. By the time it was over, however, and over the defeated bodies of those who opposed them and had not fled the field once more, they had reacher a greater agreement than anything that can be born from mere words._

_Battered and bloodied, the girl and the boy finally smiled to each other and shook hands._

_"Very well. I'll listen you out, Negi-san."_

_That was when, from nowhere, and much to everyone's screams of terror, a massive beam pierced them through._

* * *

 

_The figure cloaked in shadows of The Lifemaker, The Mage of the Beginning, grabbed Negi's neck and lifted him, to stare into his eyes with curiously mismatched irises. Those eyes made Negi's skin crawl, the sensation rising even over his overwhelming pain. They were just like ..._

_The mysterious figure studied him with a dark, quiet fascination, and the mouth in the depths of that concealing hood moved for a moment, forming a word Negi couldn't make out through his blurring haze._

_It was then that Asuna exploded out of her bubble, her sword appearing in her hands as she fell towards the Lifemaker with a savage yell of fury._

_And deep the sword went into the Lifemaker's latest stolen body._

* * *

 

_Well, now this time, it really seemed to be over for good, Chisame tried to tell herself, even though she had thought the same thing at least three times before, and every other time, things had gotten worse. But this time, it seemed to be for real, since the shadows of what had been the Lifemaker's life essence seemed to flow out of their host and whimpered pitifully as they died, consuming themselves as they pooled at the feet of that person, who in turn seemed to shrink and collapse to her wobbly knees._

_Ignoring Setsuna's cry, Konoka ran at that person's side with her Artifact prepared, even as the Lifemaker gave a few final sputtering sounds and evaporated. Negi rested between Chisame and Asuna, coughing blood and reminding Konoka he was in an even worse state. She began healing him both from his wounds and the effort of finishing the Mage of the Beginning with Asuna's help, as a stray burst of wind pulled the hood off the mysterious enemy's face._

_And they all gasped._

_For they were looking at the pale, bleeding, confused and twitching face of that woman in the movies Rakan had shown them._

_Arika Anarchia Entheofushia._

_Negi's mother._

* * *

 

_**Now:** _

"Arika Hime-sama," the old man with the oddly shaped bald head bowed deeply as she entered his luxurious Mahora office. "Please take a seat. Welcome, and please forgive how I'm bothering you so early after your release. Would you like something to drink? I can call for Shizuna-kun --"

"No, thank you," the tall blond woman said, polite but dry. "What can I do to help you?" she asked, with a subtle air of resignation.

"Actually, it's more about what you can do for Negi-kun," answered Konoe Konoemon, Headmaster of Mahora Academy.

A young representative of a certain powerful nation in the Mundus Magicus sat near him, with her oddly colored small dog on her lap. Both of them were taking illusionary forms to hide their true natures, and Arika figured out their presence had to mean what was going to be discusssed there would have ramifications for the World of Magic itself. Hardly surprising, in the wake of the events at Old Ostia. The former Queen aknowledged the dark haired girl's submissive bowing with a respectful nod of her head.

"You are aware of how many Ministra has Negi-kun acquired to this point, I assume."

"Indeed," Arika said. "Hasegawa-san, her older sister, Hakase-san, Kasuga-san, Asuna, Murakami-san, Akashi-san, Yukihiro-san, Suzushiro-san, your granddaughter, Sakurazaki-san, Nagase-san, Asakura-san, Karakuri-san, Ku-san, Shiina-san and Kakizaki-san. What of it?"

He coughed softly. "Wouldn't you agree that is quite a large number, gathered over quite a short time, for someone so young?"

"Since it is thanks to those partners that Mundus Magicus is saved and I am free, I don't think it is my place, or any of ours for that matter, to question it." Her voice was even as she answered.

"Undoubtably." The Principal hummed, looking more troubled now, "But even then, I'm afraid this situation cannot sustain itself for any longer. We would like you to help us deliver the difficult news to him, that he needs to select a single Partner, and permit the rest to return to their normal lives."

"By which you mean that they would be stripped of their memories of the time spent with my son?" Arika asked, sounding unsurprised and yet deeply disappointed nonetheless.

"It is the standard procedure."

"We hardly are in the aftermath of a standard event, and my son is hardly a standard mage anymore, so I fail to see the use of applying a standard procedure."

"That's precisely part of the problem, actually. Hime-sama, you know the standards are there for a reason. They act as a necessary containment element for keeping the balance of magic and mundanity. It's not as though we distrust Negi-kun at all, but it would set a bad precedent --"

Her icy scowl had been growing as he spoke, add now she interrupted. "And yet, he knows Nagi's Pactios with Rakan and Albireo have stood for years. Do you truly intend to feed him the common lie about the system itself not allowing multiple Pactios for long? How stupid do you believe him to be?"

"Not at all!" Konoemon was growing frankly impatient, making the girl and her dog feel terribly awkward, caught in the middle of it. "But it's hardly the same situation. Negi-kun will not be punished, because his intentions were good and everything worked out for the best, but still, the rules must be enforced."

"Unless grave changes have been made in my absence, that one is an unwritten rule, mostly applied out of convenience. You have no need to enforce it."

"Or do I?" he mused aloud.

"Fine then. Perhaps I should rephrase myself. Negi has no need to obey it."

"Hime-sama, don't do this. Negi-kun will listen to you --"

"As he wouldn't listen to you?"

"Of course he would, but even so, if you would oppose --"

"Which I do, naturally," Arika said. "You are asking me to take part in a conspiracy, a hoax to make my son believe he is obliged to give up all the alliances he and his loved ones have forged with blood and sweat. To pretend that reducing his range, his potential down to a level you would consider acceptable for your interests, is also in his own. Do you have any idea how much pain that would wreak upon him, who already was cut off from anyone he ever loved? Do you even care about him? About them?"

"It cannot be helped." Konoemon replied as he gestured for the girl and her dog to leave the room. With a shaky nod and quick if clumsy feet, they did so. He continued. "Their relationships just cannot be allowed to go any further, as I hope you are aware. Especially considering the ties most of them share. He'll be allowed to return quietly to Wales with the partner of his choice, no matter who she happens to be. Even if she were Konoka. That is my promise. We consider it a fitting reward for him, since he never was interested in accolades."

"How generous. I see. Would you granddaughter be one of those mindwiped, in the event she isn't to be 'selected', then?"

He crossed his bony fingers over the desk. "Well. After a lot of heated deliberations, we've decided that, since Konoka-chan already has become an accomplished mage in her own right, and as she has a single Ministra of her own, and is unlikely to ever pick another one, she and Setsuna-kun will be spared the memory wipe. Their Pactios with Negi-kun will still be revoked, however."

"How convenient for your family."

He sighed. "Arika-sama, I beg of you, don't make this any harder for any of us."

"No. I have to. I won't be an accomplice in this felony, this betrayal of the people who risked their lives for your collective sake . What you intend to do is discard my son and his allies after they have served your goals, to avoid having another Ala Rubra in your hands. Negi owed you nothing. You gave him a job at your Academy, yes, but he proceeded to repay it by taking a class of misfits and underachievers and shaping it into, not only the best class in your academy, but also an efficient battle unit that just saved two worlds. And now, you repay them by breaking them apart and cheating them out of the priceless bonds they have formed."

He frowned again. "As I have told you, it would be problematic for everyone, themselves included, if they --"

"Yes, I don't doubt it would be problematic. Negi and his comrades grow stronger by the day, and several have ideas of their own, which is a grave sin in the magical community. You want to pull his reins back before his companions make him see some things for what they are, don't you? So far, he'll blindly trust you, but once he learns more secrets about him and his class, and why you chose to keep them together under your watch --"

The unthinkable happened, and he dared to interrupt her. "Madame! Your assumptions are out of place!"

"I may have just been reborn, Konoe, but don't you dare to act as though I were born yesterday," the woman said indignantly. "You know I am perfectly aware of your career, and have been so long before I was possessed. Eishun filled me in what I didn't experience firsthand. Don't think I have forgotten your past misdeeds, justified as many of them were. I will not judge you for them, since I am not without mine either. But don't pretend your motives come from mere concerns on Negi's bloodline. I know perfectly well how Konoeko came to be conceived."

At that, he went pale and still for a moment, before relaxing back into the chair with subtly troubled breathing. "Very well. I cannot force your hand, and you are correct, neither I can force Negi-kun's. I still, however, have authority over who can stay in this school and who cannot."

"Would you fall low enough as to hurt your own granddaughter with that?"

"If needed so, to save her from greater grief, yes!"

"Because that always has been your favored solution, has not it? To sweep your concerns away, under the rug. The Senate washes them away with blood, but at least you are benevolent enough to resort only to lies and hidden truths. Like my son was never even told of my name! My very existence!"

"Most would have said we did him a favor!"

"And you have seen, time and time again, how well those favors work out in the end, haven't you? You have been proved you cannot keep those secrets forever! Negi, Konoka, Akashi-san, all learned, because they were fated to! You cannot deny them their birthrights! Certainly, no one denied you yours!"

He sighed. "Sometimes, I wish they had."

"That, sir, is a coward's way. You are fortunate your grandchild is not here to witness such a pitiful confession."

He murmured darkly before allowing, "Out of what I owe Nagi, and out of sympathy and thanks for Negi-kun, I will give him one more semester here, while I contemplate the subject. That's all I can do for now."

"You are very generous."

"Don't thank me. As you know, most powers in the know are wary about you, not only because of your possession, not only because of those slanders thrown on you, but because..."

"They are afraid I am just like my father. Yes, I know," she softly allowed. She stood up. "Regardless, and despite everything, I offer you my thanks, still. Perhaps I should have considered your situation with more sympathy, but my priorities lie with my son's happiness."

"I only hope you know what's better for it," he observed.

She nodded. "I intend to learn it. Is there something else to debate?"

"Not for now. Have a good afternoon, Hime-sama."

"Likewise, Konoe," she bowed again before leaving.

On her way out, she passed next to the girl and her dog, who now sat on a chair at a prudent distance from the office's door. "E-Excuse me, but what's going to happen?" the young female asked.

"They will stay together," Arika promised, with a gentle nod. "Oh, please do tell your rose-haired friend I liked the cupcakes."

"I will!" She nodded quickly. Good to know, despite her obvious sorrow during the farewell party for Ala Alba, and how most of those present for it had been deeply wary of her, Arika-sama still seemed to have derived some enjoyment out of it, in her own way.

Arika smiled, and then walked down the corridor and out of sight.

* * *

 

That night, Arika Entheofushia just couldn't sleep.

It was not a matter of her accommodations themselves. She had known far worse, starting with a certain cell where she was molested day after day before being thirteen, not to mention another cell where she had been kept twenty four hours a day in a straightjacket. Hakase Satomi had been kind enough to offer her bed, but Arika had refused it and taken the couch instead. She liked it better than a futon, although under normal circumstances she could have slept in one as well with no problems.

That night was far from normal circumstances.

Her mind wouldn't let the recent events go. It was bad enough she couldn't remember anything from the moment she was possessed, including what had happened to Nagi afterwards, or what she had done as the Lifemaker's host body. Being distrusted and feared by everyone in Mundus Magicus, only saved from a new imprisonment by the pleas of her son and his allies, was also bad. But she was well used to be the target of hatred and prejudice. What was truly bothering her now, however, was her earlier conversation with the Headmaster.

It wouldn't let go of her mind.

It was so bad, she was fully awake past midnight, when she heard Hasegawa Chisame's cry from the bedroom. Bolting to her bare feet, Arika stormed into the small room, in a tight night robe loaned from Minamoto Shizuna, to find the thin, pimpled girl with long light brown hair sitting on the floor, in pajamas, with bulging eyes and her hands planted on the carpet.

"What has happened?" Arika asked, seeing Negi had, as usual, crawled into Chisame's bunk and slept peacefully there, on his right flank. That couldn't be what had scared the girl, however, since as Arika understood, that was a recurring habit of her son. Besides, judging by the way the petite black haired Satomi and Chamo the white ermine slept like logs in her bunk and his underwear drawer respectively, whatever had disturbed Chisame's sleep couldn't have been too impressive.

Chisame still looked as though it had, however, as she turned widened fearful eyes on Arika in the darkness, and hesitated, falling silent after whispering an agitated, "He ... he has just ... um. N-Never mind!"

Arika scowled, since she hated being lied to. "What has happened?" she repeated herself.

"N-Nothing, really!" Chisame said, getting up and dusting herself off, not looking directly at her, her cheeks red. "I ... It was just a nightmare I had! Can you blame me after all of that?"

The girl was spirited, to talk to her like that, but a horrible liar. Arika made her way past her with a few long steps, despite Chisame's urgent pleas of normalcy, of there being no need for it. Paying no mind, Arika climbed up to the upper bunk, pulled the sheets covering most of Negi's lower body, and then had her suspicions confirmed.

There was a small but noticeable poking tend in Negi's pajama bottoms.

She literally could hear Chisame sweating by the bucketfuls behind her.

"Is this the first time?" she asked in a subdued whisper.

"Ahhh." Chisame blabbered. "Y-Yeah. I think so."

Arika, after taking the sleeping boy's face delicately in her hands and studying it up close, asked again, just as low, "What did you do to provoke this reaction?"

"Wha-- Nothing!" Chisame hissed, then covered her mouth with both hands before continuing, quite lower in tone, "What do I know about this? How could I know the first thing about men's ... things? He, he keeps crawling into my bed, and I allowed it because he always has those nightmares, and he grew used to it with his sister, but this!"

"It is a perfectly normal development. Don't exaggerate," Arika chided her.

Chisame groaned, then gasped as she saw Arika carefully running her fingers over the small pant bulge, making Negi moan softly. "Wha- Wha- What are you --!" Chisame gulped.

Arika kept an analytic, cold look on the cloth covered member for a moment before climbing back down, taking Chisame by an arm, and dragging her over to the kitchenette. She softly slid the door closed, and made her sit with her, at opposite sides of the breakfast table. "How old do you think Negi is, right now?"

"Ehhh? W-Well, he was like ten when he arrived here, although maybe it was more like late nine -- he didn't explain himself all that well -- and it's been less than a year since, so I guess, eleven, but ... ahhh... since, let's say late May, we started training in Evangeline's resort, where it's one day spent there for each hour out here, and we go there like five days a week, each day including three hour long sessions, so..."

"Counting the time you spent in Mundus Magicus, he's twelve now," Arika concluded after some mental calculations, resting her arms on the table. "No wonder he's starting to experience puberty."

"Well, he can't sleep with me anymore after this!" Chisame protested.

"Forget that," the blonde waved her concern off. "Right now, Negi needs our support and help more than ever. What do you think we were discussing in my meeting with the Headmaster today? He wanted my help to tell Negi he had to pick a single one of you as his partner, and have the memories of the rest erased."

After a moment of trying to figure out what she had just heard, Chisame went, "What? How?"

"Never mind. That won't be a concern for the immediate moment. I naturally refused to go along with it, and he has promised to let the matter rest for now. At this time, Negi still needs all of you. Not only do we still have to find Nagi, but the solution Asuna offered Mundus Magicus is a temporary relief at best. And now ... this development happens." She actually smiled. "It makes me happy, however. I missed far too many moments in my son's life, but I will be the one to give him his first serious talk on such an important subject."

"Um, well ... yeah, you're welcome to it. But why were you t-touching his --" The girl trailed off.

Arika considered finishing the sentence with some of the more colorful sections of her Japanese or English vocabularies, but decided to forebear for the moment. "When you have a fever, doesn't your mother ever touch your forehead? Doesn't she lovingly apply kisses on your bruises? Why should this be any different?"

"Oh, my mother is kind of a ... an unpleasant person, to say the least. She's my stepmother, actually. Our real mother died when Kobato was born."

That took Arika by surprise. "What?!"

Chisame nodded slowly. "Yeah. She and Dad spend most of their time overseas, anyway, so ... but, but that isn't the point! That's different from a ... from a ... from an erection! You, you can't just go and touch an erection, I mean, I know he's your son and you're a princess, but still --"

Arika had a hand on her own mouth, not really listening anymore. "Hasegawa Airi, dead. My dear Gods. Why weren't we ever told?"

That made Chisame take yet another abrupt mental U-turn, as her consciousness was being bombarded from all sides tonight. "Wait, how do you know her name? Don't tell me you knew her!"

"We knew many of your parents," Arika said, standing back up, "But that's a discussion to be had later. If you're uncomfortable sleeping with Negi tonight, take the couch and I will take his futon."

"Why can't HE take HIS futon?" Chisame complained. "That's MY bed in the first place!"

Arika already was moving for the door. "Tomorrow, after classes, I want you to head to the Library and research male biology. Don't come back until you have learned all you think you might need to know to help Negi cope with this key stage of his growth."

"But, tomorrow I have a special web session --"

Arika gave her a Look.

"-- which can wait until late tomorrow night," Chisame decided.

"Good."

By the time Chisame went back to the bedroom, however, Negi had already sleepwalked down to Satomi's bunk, and both of them slept fondly in each other's arms.

For some reason, having her bunk available again didn't make Chisame particularly happy.

* * *

 

It has been said that every road, even those to Heaven and Hell, starts with a single step.

For Hasegawa Chisame, that particular step was taken when she walked into Library Island that afternoon, after classes, to begrudgingly undertake the 'assignment' Princess Arika had given her. It was so stupid. The woman didn't have any actual power anymore, and in fact she was mooching off Chisame. She didn't have a single yen to her name, and yet it was like she owned the place just by arriving there. For some reason going beyond basic politeness, Chisame felt like she couldn't contradict her; she was a lot like Evangeline, in that way.

Of course, even now, Chisame wasn't absolutely sure Evangeline wasn't their enemy. True, she had given them a lot of help lately, even after Chisame, Negi, Hakase and Kakizaki defeated her that cold night on the suspension bridge. But Eva had never hidden that she had an ultimate purpose for giving them her assistance -- namely getting Negi to break the curse that kept the small bloodsucker chained to Mahora. A curse placed on her by Negi's infamous father, the Thousand Master. Who knew what would she do once she had what she wanted and had no further need for any of them? Even now, Chisame wasn't sure Negi could defeat her if she used all of her powers against him.

And just as with Evangeline, she wasn't completely sure Arika could be trusted. She had been, after all, the host body for the Thousand Master's greatest enemy, and even if the others said his influence had been completely purged out of her body, Chisame couldn't help but wonder ...

Annnd she had left Negi alone with her. Gah. Well, as she tried to reassure herself, Negi was a big boy now (maybe actually too big for Chisame's comfort) and he could look after himself. It wasn't like Chisame could help him a lot in a direct physical fight, either. But, still ...

She passed in front of the absent-minded Professor Rance, who sat, as usual, behind his reception desk, hunchbacked over one of his old tomes on Psychology, always dressed in formal dark brown, with an old pet crow on his shoulder. The foreign college teacher and part-time librarian creeped almost all of the student librarians out, although Miyazaki seemed to be rather fond of him, and apparently the misanthrope answered to that fondness to some degree -- a dubious honor no one else but that damn sinister crow shared, to Chisame's knowledge. Instead of dealing with him, Chisame chose to head over to the desk of the other receptionist present at the time, one Shiomiya Shiori, from the plaque on her desk. The girl was one or two years older than Chisame and most of her classmates, but she was twice as shy as Miyazaki had been before Negi's arrival.

"G-G-Good afternoon," the black haired girl stuttered pathetically when she saw Chisame approaching. "M-M-May I help you with anything?"

This was it. Maybe it would be better to just answer with a 'No', turn around and leave, but then Arika's face appeared in Chisame's mind, and that made the decision for her. Discreetly, the younger girl slipped a note over Shiori's desk. The other girl quickly read it with huge curious eyes.

It only said, _Books on the male reproductive system, please_.

"For a class project," Chisame whispered, hoping she wasn't blushing as much as the girl who now turned those large disbelieving eyes on her.

Shiori nodded clumsily and whispered back. "E-e-excuse me, j-just a m-moment, please." Then she quickly scurried, on shaky but deceptively strong and fast legs, into the depths of the library.

Knowing how gigantic Library Island was, even without counting the underground levels full of insanity Negi and Chisame had visited during the whole End of 2-A's Term Fiasco, the girl with glasses calculated the young librarian would take at least one hour to get to where such material was stashed and bring her a 'decent' selection of reading material on that subject she didn't want to know about.

Five minutes later, Shiori returned pushing a large cart jam packed with enough books to last Chisame a week. Hasegawa immediately pegged her as a closet pervert who kept all that material at hand at all times. And she was right about the closet pervert part, but the truth was Shiori could have gotten her an equally large amount of books on any other subject with the same speed and efficiency.

"W-Will this be enough?" the shy girl struggled to keep her voice very low. It wasn't difficult at all for her, even if it WAS hard for Chisame to hear her correctly.

"I ... I think so, yeah," Chisame admitted. "Is there any place where I can get an idea of what I need?"

Shiori pointed down a side hall. "A-All the way to the end, th-there's an empty table where you can review the, the material and you, you only need to tell me afterwards what, what you need to --"

Chisame stopped her with a dry calming gesture, since it was obvious stringing the words together was killing her.

Leaving the sighing girl behind, Chisame pushed her cart of doom down the hall. Well, she figured that nervous wreck of a girl wouldn't tell anyone. Chisame doubted she even could complete a sentence on the subject of sex without fainting.

Much like Honya, actually.

Or so Chisame believed, at least, not like she really cared.

On her way, she heard the familiar weak, muffled sounds of Fuuka and Fumika doing ... what they did, coming from behind a particularly tall and wide bookstand. Chisame cringed. Didn't they ever get tired of that? It was sick and disgusting, and yet they kept doing it everywhere. Chisame prayed for the day when Nitta would catch them in the act at last and put a swift end to their ... perverted nonsense.

She absently kicked a small pair of wet panties left in her path towards the bookstand, rubbed her shoe on the floor as if cleaning it as best as she could, and then kept on marching to the promised table. She set the cart next to her chair, opened a book at random, and sat down to read it. She was met with the vision of a titanic block of text only Hakase would have felt comfortable with. Okay, this one was a definitive no-no, then. Leaving it aside without even bothering to actually read the lines, she reached for another book, but her hand froze mid-way.

She had just felt an evil presence right behind her. She could faintly hear the ahoge twitching, making the faintest but most threatening of all sounds.

"Oh, hey, Chi-chan!" Saotome Haruna's voice chirped feistily. "Whatcha doing here, all alone?"

It had to be the road to hell, Chisame decided.

* * *

 

 _"Tadaima,"_ Negi said as he walked in, after another grueling session of extra classes making sure the Baka Rangers regained all the progress they had mostly lost during their Mundus Magicus exploits.

As he walked in, however, he realized the Japanese greeting had been pointless, since Chisame and Satomi were apparently absent. The later's absence was to be expected, since she was catching up on all the lab time she had missed over the last few weeks. But he had been under the impression Chisame would be having a web session that afternoon and early evening. Even Chamo failed to come out to greet him as usual.

Arika was the only one at home, and she was finishing cooking dinner, then putting it into the fridge. "Welcome," she told him then, gesturing with her head for him to take his jacket off and take a seat at the table. So he did so. "I told Chamomile to go drink with the vampire's doll, and Chisame will be joining us later than usual. There are several things I want to discuss with you privately."

He swallowed, but kept enough of presence of mind to say, "Ah. Actually, yes, I would like that, since there are several things that I would like to ask you, and ... they couldn't be asked before Chisame and the others." He was well aware he had to be starting the conversation in what had to be one of the worst possible ways.

"Then ask," Arika bade, with the same calme and collected tone she usually had, as she poured a cup of tea for each of them.

"Ah. Ah, yes, well. Um," Negi said, with his hands on his knees, and looking down at the floor. After a moment, he lifted his head, looked like he was about to ask for a second, and then didn't, instead looking aside.

Following his gaze to the fridge, Arika said, "I am no expert cook, but I forced myself to learn for your father's sake. I would like to think I have reached a decent, if perhaps not outstanding level of --"

"What? Oh, no! I mean, I'm sure it'll be delicious, and I look forward to my first meal that comes from you, eagerly, but, but that's not what I was thinking about, just now!"

She smiled at his befuddlement, then softly patted her chest with a hand. "Oh, it would be far from your first meal coming from me."

After several moments of looking utterly confused, although also oddly uncomfortable with having his attention drawn towards that area, Negi got the point. "Oh ... Mother! I'm, I'm serious here!"

"You always are, from what I have gathered. So different from your father. Not that I mind; fine as he is, a single Nagi Springfield is enough for this world," she mused.

He sighed, looked down again, and murmured weakly, "I... I would like to know if Asuna-san is your sister."

"Oh." She managed to say that with barely any emotion.

"I mean," Negi gulped, "I have pieced things together here and there, through my stay in Mundus Magicus, and I'm fairly sure that she is related to me in some way. They called her a Princess, but no one will tell me exactly what our relationship is, not even Takamichi."

"Especially not Takamichi." It was Arika's turn to sigh. "By now, you should be aware his feelings for Asuna are ... complicated."

"Eh?"

"Negi. I know you are young, but even I have noticed it, and I just arrived here. I am not completely sure I approve of it, but it is obvious Asuna's feelings for him aren't completely unrequited."

"Eh?" he said again. When they had arrived from the Gravekeeper's palace with Asuna to meet up with Takamichi again, his reaction hadn't seemed that different from that of any other teacher who had been concerned about a student in danger.

Arika smiled benevolently, although with a hint of bitterness. "You would do well to learn better how to read the subtle signs people display, child. Even a simpleton like your father is good at it."

Negi was so shocked, though, he completely ignored the playful insult on his beloved father. "You aren't sure ... if you approve. Then ... then you indeed are ..."

"In a way, I am," she said, growing more serious.

"In a way?" the boy asked. "Oh ... oh, I understand. She, she is your father's daughter with another woman."

"Indeed." Arika nodded only once.

He hummed. Arika studied his reaction carefully, even while feigning disinterest. He did not seem troubled at having such a close blood relationship revealed, so her suspicions seemed to be correct. He appeared to be upset over the idea of Asuna being a child born out of wedlock, but not devastated like she'd expect from a lover who has just had his world shattered.

Of course, that only made her concerned he still would suffer that way, when she told him about Chisame.

For now, however, Negi's only reaction was a dispirited sigh. "I'm sorry. I realize, then, you may have your reasons for disliking her. That would explain why you have avoided her since we freed you. But I have to beg you to reconsider. Asuna is a wonderful young woman, brave and generous, and I'm sure she feels horrible about nearly killing you. She didn't have any idea you were --"

She blinked. "Wait, what? Do you truly think I--? Oh, no. Far from it. I never could hate Asuna, any more than I could hate you."

"But, but you just said --"

"I said she is my father's daughter with someone other than my mother, yes. But that's no reason for me to hate her."

"Oh, of course. I'm sorry. Because, of course, it's obviously not her fault that her, that your father was ... well ..." His brow furrowed as he thought of all the stories he had heard about the former ruler of Vespertatia during his stay in the World of Magic. He couldn't possibly think of that person as his grandfather, not after learning of the role he played in bringing that much suffering, that much --

"No. Because she is my daughter," Arika said.

\-- chaos ...

Negi looked at her face again, his own features growing ghastly pale. "What?" he asked in a strangled tone.

* * *

 

Chisame's skin crawled as she felt Haruna looking over her shoulder, her large, sharp dark eyes scanning the books Chisame had brought with vivacious interest. Trying to hide them now was completely useless. Any moment now, she would ask --

"Hoo-hoo-hooo! What an interesting choice of reading material, Chi-chan! Never would have expected it from you! Why the sudden interest? Don't tell me it's because of that eyeful you got from Rak--"

The biggest book Chisame had at hand met Haruna's face. "WHA-WHAT-HOW DID YOU --?!"

Shiori's head peeked around a corner, with an uncharacteristically stern expression and a piercing, shrill sound of JIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII coming from her. Chisame gulped, promised, "I'll be quiet," in a whisper, and the head retreated back the way it came, silently.

Chisame shuddered a little. What an unnerving voiceless sound! How had she done it? Furthermore, why did she feel like she had heard it before? Oh, yes, that girl who followed Itoshiki-sensei around all the freaking time.

(Management wishes to express its apologies to Shadow Crystal Mage over this departure from Unequally Rational and Emotional canon.)

Haruna chuckled goofily, wiping a red stain from her nose. In a low voice, because even she was wary of The Shiori in Protect The Library's Sanctity Mode, she said, "It's nothing to be embarrassed about! We are all growing, and so have growing needs, and curiosity is a natural thing, and it's actually better to read books about it than looking for it through the Intern--"

Chisame pressed a hand around Haruna's mouth. "How. Did. You. Know. About. The. Eyeful?"

"Ccchhhhmmm tlllddd mmmmmm!" Haruna said.

Chisame hissed. "That white rat will pay!"

Haruna chuckled again as she pulled her mouth free. "There's no need to be so repressed! I'd be glad to help, actually. Why, I taught Yue and Nodoka all they know, and while they haven't gotten in any practice -- I think -- they know so much theory, when the moment comes, they --"

"It isn't that!" Chisame managed to scream her whisper while rattling the dumbly laughing Haruna. "It's for a school project!"

Now that made Haruna stop laughing, stiffen herself enough to stop Chisame's rattling, and say, very seriously, "We have the exact same classes, in the event you don't remember. Don't insult my intelligence, and I won't insult yours."

Chisame boiled impotently, then let her go and slammed a hand palm on the table, and the other one in her own forehead.

Haruna blinked twice. "Chisame. Don't tell me, is Negi-kun already showing --?"

"Whaaa--- NO!" At the very loud AHEM in Shiori's voice from the other end of the hall, Chisame whispered again, "What, what makes you think that nonsense? That's just plain ridiculous, he's only a brat."

"Well," Haruna reasoned, "Considering all the time we have spent in the resort, and then in Mundus Magicus, he must be aging faster than he normally would have. Look, it's happening to me too! Look at how big my breasts have gotten!" she gushed, pushing her boobs together and nearly drooling on them. "Oooh, my pretties, how much I love you..."

Blushing fiercely, Chisame sputtered incoherencies before saying, "Ah, no, that isn't, it, not yet."

"Ah, no?"

"No! W-Why aren't you with Honya and Ayase, anyway?"

"Card Hunting, and Children's Lit Club," Haruna said in an even lower tone. "And don't derail this conversation, Missy! I'm his Ministra too, and I have every right to know what may be plaguing my Magister! You aren't the only one who loves him, you know!"

"I, I don't love --!" Chisame backed away on her chair, then sizzled. "Fine! I, I just wanted to know if my parents could have any more children at their age! Satisfied?"

Haruna deflated a bit. "Oh. Oh, is that all?"

"Yes! Why, yes, it is!"

"Oh." She seemed genuinely disappointed. "Ah, that's ... understandable, then. I guess I'm sorry about intruding in your private life, then."

"Really?" Chisame asked suspiciously.

"Hey, I have parents who still are madly in love with each other too," Haruna explained. "Often, Ranma and me do worry about that kind of thing. Mom's too much of a traditionalist to use protection, but, well, she's past the age where pregnancies are safe anymore."

Chisame nodded slowly. Well, it seemed to have worked, thank God.

"So I'll help you with all the research you need!" Haruna decided, sounding far too friendly for Chisame's comfort.

"Oh, no, it's not necessary at all!"

"Oh, but I insist! Let me see what you have here." At a dizzying speed, she rummaged through Chisame's books, barely looking at their covers before either setting them aside or down in front of the cosplaying hacker. "This one won't do ... nor this one ... ah, but this one's cool ... nah, this one's lame ... oh, this one's great! Juicy pictures, too! Here we have one of my favorites ... I think Nodoka likes this one, but it's too tame ... this one sucks, and not in the good way ... here you have a winner! You can't be without this one ... but never leave this one near Negi ... or better yet, do! Ah-hah! Now here's what I call a classic!"

Chisame slumped down in her chair, miserably.

When Haruna was involved in something, there was no way to win.

* * *

 

Negi sat there, with a hideously pale face and a half-open mouth, as his mother began narrating her story, in a sparse, stoic tone.

"For the first eleven years of my life, I suppose you could say I was happy, although never remarkably so. Technically, all the riches of the kingdom would be mine for the asking, but my father never allowed me to set foot outside of our royal citadel, much less wander around without my bodyguards. My mother never paid me any attention, and to this day I am convinced she despised me, growing even more distant with each day I approached my teenage years. I must admit I did not cry the day I was told about her death, years later, in my imprisonment ... but I am getting ahead of the facts.

"My father, the Emperor, was almost as distant, but unlike her, I never believed that he hated me. On the rare occasions he visited me, he acted generous and showered me with praise and gifts. He showed interest on my education, and I grew to love him. He was the sole man I was allowed to talk with, and he was, back then, handsome and gallant, like a fairy tale prince. I had no way of knowing, in my golden cage, of all the intrigues and murders he plotted, all the wars he ignited, all the allies he betrayed."

She paused to drink another sip, elegantly, as Negi just stared at his untouched cup. Only then did she continue. "I was raised by maids and nannies, and all my tutors were female. My only playmates were those women's daughters. It was no wonder I remained pristine and pure until I was twelve, and I would have continued to be so, had not news of my first menses reached my father's ears. Then he had me carried to a dungeon in our basements by the very guards who had always protected my life. There, he came to me, and made me his. Every day, he would visit me, make use of my body, and then leave. That happened until nature took its normal course and I was with child. He didn't visit me anymore then.

"My nannies looked after me during my pregnancy, with twice the zeal they showed before. When my daughter was born, I was told what would her name be, and then she was taken away from me. Despite Ala Rubra's best attempts to reunite us later on, for one reason or another, it never could be. I never saw her again until she freed me from the Lifemaker's grasp."

She let out a small exhalation, and then took yet another sip from her tea, with an air of composure about her that only added to the horror of her tale.

That was just too much for Negi, who simply broke down into bitter tears. "Oh! Oh, Mother, why ... I never knew ... had I ever known, I'd have ... why, how could anyone, what did he do to --"

And then she had covered the distance between them, holding him against herself, tightly, so his sobbing head rested against her stomach.

"No," she said. "I will not have you, of all people, taking pity of me. I don't deserve to be pitied, my son. And I don't wish for it either. Pity is for those crushed by life. My father stole my innocence, true. He took my firstborn in a mad gamble to harness the true power of the Magic Cancel. But he didn't ruin my life. Because I chose to stand up again and continue. Often, all we can do is decide whether to persevere and live, or surrender and die. I chose life, and in doing so, I forfeited any right to be pitied."

His small, yet already callous hands grasped at the sweater she had brorrowed from Minamoto Shizuna. "But still, that was so horrible, so beyond any repair, both to you, and Asuna-san, and --!"

Her hands caressed his scalp. "Negi," she said, calling him for his name for the first time since they had been rejoined. "Dwelling on the past is useless. None of us can repair it, and in trying, we only lose our capacity to forge our future. Part of my decision to continue was to let the past die. Do I regret not being there for Asuna and you? Of course I do. But I prefer to think of all the time we will spend together, as a family, from now on. With your father, and if you wish so, with Chisame as well. As long as I have you, never pity me again."

He still cried against her, held in her warm, soothing embrace as she whispered an old song from her homeland, until his eyes couldn't produce more tears, and he deflated in her arms with a sigh.

"Now," Arika said softly, "There is also the subject I wanted to share with you ever since this morning. Chisame is feeling quite troubled about a recent development with your body."

He rubbed his eyes, feeling even that topic, which had tormented him for so long, was irrelevant now. "She doesn't need to worry, we've gone through this already. I mastered Magia Erebea, so I won't be losing control over myself anymore."

"You misunderstand me. Don't try to tell me you haven't felt another kind of change in your body lately. To be more specific, here." Much to his shock, she reached down and gently squeezed his private parts, making him yowl and jump back. Luckily she wasn't holding him tightly, or it'd have hurt. Even near invulnerable immortals have softness in their 'soft' parts, after all. "Oh, I see that got the expected reaction, so I trust you know what I'm talking about."

"Wha--! Wha--! What are you --?!"

"Or perhaps not," she sighed, with two fingers on her forehead, seeing his freaked out reaction. "Very well, I will be as direct as I can. Haven't you been waking up with a new kind of hardness in what I just touched, especially when you are sleeping with your roommates?"

Negi froze on the spot.

"Negi, it's a perfectly normal development for a boy your age," Arika explained patiently. "You are actually older than you think. All the time you have spent in places apart from this world's passage of events has added up."

"But ... but ..." Negi blabbered. "I thought it was just natural. I mean, just like I often woke up with a numb arm or leg, after some exercise." (By this he meant what anyone else would probably call 'too much exercise'.) "Or when I slept on them for too long."

Arika's gaze became mildly accusing. "And you never dreamed of exotic situations involving your partners before waking up to those sensations?"

"U-Ummm... well..." He twiddled his fingers adorably. "I don't think I can answer that question properly, since I'm afraid I'm not too familiar with most definitions of 'exotic'."

"I have noticed," she dryly observed. "That should be remedied. Lovable as your innocence is, your passage into manhood means you cannot hold on it any longer."

"I'm afraid," he said, even without fully understanding why.

"Don't be." She grabbed his hands. "I will be there with you. So will Chisame. And no doubt, the rest of your companions as well. We will guide you down a king's path, rewarding your heroic deeds at last, with all the pleasures you have earned."

He blinked, not getting it. Again. "What king's path? Mother, I don't want to be a king! I wouldn't even know what to do if I was!"

"It is a manner of speech to mean how much you matter to us, Negi. I'm not delusional enough to think we could ever reclaim the throne of Ostia."

"Oh."

She looked at his face and smiled. As clueless as his father, but despite that, she couldn't be mad at him. On an impulse, she gave him a small peck on the lips. He flinched slightly, but didn't protest. He had been kissed on the mouth far too many times already, and even Nekane had done it a few times when he was little. So he smiled back, and she took that as a sign of encouragement to lean ahead and kiss him deeply now, closing her eyes as her tongue went into his mouth, and he stiffened in more than one sense. Her arms tightened him against her chest, and even through the thick sweater's cloth, he could feel the hardened tips of her nipples. Out of all those who had kissed him so far, only Misa, when she got her Pactio, and Evangeline, that time when she had teased him in the resort's baths, could compare to the kiss he was now receiving. Even Princess Theodora, who put a lot of power into her kiss, had lacked the voracious, feral passion of this contact.

Small bells still were ringing in his head when Arika pulled her head back, not bothering to wipe the bridge of drool linking their mouths. "Negi," she said, sounding only slightly hesitant. "What I have just given you is naught but a small fraction of the pleasures of the flesh and heart men and women can give each other. That road is one you should take eventually, but only you can decide when. I am offering you this election now. You can reject my carnal company, and learn of this with another, at any other time you would like. Or you can lie with me, in a relationship most would spurn and condemn, and learn with the best lover either realm has produced," she added without a hint of false modesty. "I will love you regardless of your choice, but I must tell you, nothing would make me happier than becoming one with the one who is the combination of my being with that of the one I love the most. Well, Boy? What is it going to be? Yes, or no?"

Looking directly into her eyes, he made a sound she chose to interpret as an acceptance, and so she claimed his lips again. He didn't protest or struggle, surrendering himself to this new and alien, yet mesmerizing demonstration of affection. He felt the embarrassing, confusing hardness between his legs returning, poking against her, as the blonde struggled to get his pants off. He was wearing both a belt and suspenders, since the chaos surrounding him often made attempts against even his own clothes, and he was always prepared, like a Boy Scout. Or Batman.

Her hands were skilled, however, and in a short time his pants were pooling down around his ankles, to be joined by his boxers a moment later, when Arika tugged them down. While he was used to being bathed and seen nude by girls by now, the fact his thing was hard and rigid as she looked at it made him feel ashamed and dirty, for reasons he couldn't quite explain.

After a short humming sound, Arika pulled the sweater over her head, and her large breasts, without a brassiere, were exposed to a paralyzed Negi for the first time since his weaning, making his mouth feel oddly wet, mostly around the corners.

Gently, she pushed him further back into his chair, kneeling on the floor before him. "Negi," she said to him. "I realize this is going to be your first time doing this, and so, you might feel tempted to let yourself go quickly. But for both of our sakes, please hold yourself in until I tell you otherwise. Do you understand me?"

"Ahh-hah," he said, despite not understanding the nature of the question. But he soon understood, when she began applying those skilled fingers, that didn't move too slow or too fast, to the phallus and the scrotum, and to the middle point between them, and all around them for that matter. It was a sensation of physical pleasure which he had never felt before, one that made him want to cry.

But he had made a promise, and using every bit of willpower that had kept him going through the most painful training and battle, he clung to his chair and endured the all encompasing pain for moments of sweet agony, chewing on his lower lip and clenching his jaw, his head occasionally twitching back as her hands worked on him.

Until, an unspecified amount of minutes later, she stopped manipulating his member and testicles. "Negi, you have done well," she congratulated him. "So here is your reward. You can let yourself go at any time after I do what I'm about to do. That, too, is part of being a man."

And without further ado, she leaned down, her hands on the floor, and wrapped her lips around his small stiff thing, taking it as deeply as it could go into her mouth.

Negi groaned, and there was a great release.

After a few moments of twitching in place, shaken by cold tremors that hit him like whips of steel, he gasped for air and fell back against his chair, hiding his face between his hands. He, however, looked between his fingers enough to see a thin glop of some white liquid trickling down from his mother's mouth, only to be quickly scooped up by her tongue and swallowed. He guessed that meant he hadn't peed in her mouth (and it certainly hadn't felt like it.) That was a relief, in a way, although it still didn't make him feel too good.

"What ..." he said just as shakily as he felt, "What have we just --"

"We have," she said primly, "completed the first step in your sexual education. This is just one of the many things women can do for men, and, in an obviously different yet similar fashion, men also can do it for women. I'll teach how to please your beloved later, but as of now, we would do better to complement this practical experience with much needed theory. Pay attention."

"Y-Yes!" he gulped and straightened, since he was as good a student as a teacher. As he did, he tried to pull his underwear and pants back up, but she stopped him with a gesture, then placed her hand again on his softening member.

"This," Arika said, "is a cock. You'll refer to it as a cock, and nothing else. Not a penis, not a wang, certainly not a hardness, and above it all, absolutely never a purple one-eyed trouser snake."

"Are there actually any people who call it that?" Negi sounded shocked.

"You'd be surprised to know how many," she said, with a nod, as she stood back and began undoing her long dark blue skirt. When it fluttered down to the floor, the boy gasped at what he saw. He was no stranger to such sights, since Nekane had started bathing him, and even moreso when he had started sneezing wind magic, but to have someone intentionally reveal it to him so blatantly was relatively new.

"And this," she said, patting herself on the nakedness that should have been covered by panties, "is a cunt. It must be called a cunt. Not a pussy, cleft, womanhood, or hoo-hah. It is my cunt, the one you came from, and the one you'll cum into soon."

"Don't you mean 'come into'?" Negi, always the teacher, asked softly, even though he didn't understand the difference between the homonyms too well himself, yet.

"In a way," she allowed, pondering whether to cut the lesson short for the night before looking at Negi's recovering erection, as his eyes were fixed on her pubic area. She smiled, flattered. "Oh my. Do you like this old woman's body so much?"

"You ... you are very pretty, Mother," he murmured shyly.

Arika considered her next course of action. Optimist as she forced herself to be, she knew it could be years before they found Nagi, if they ever did. She desperately wanted a child she would be able to raise and see grow at last, but she wasn't sure she could get one from Nagi. She knew it was a selfish desire, but she couldn't help it, wanting it more than she wanted anything else. It was a need consuming her core, making it burn out of control. And seeing his innocent, beautiful face, where the first signs of maturity already dawned, was exciting her more than it should. It was mutual, since he had grown to full rigidity, never stopping his gaze at her bare body.

"Thank you," she said once she'd decided what she was going to do. "Your father, unfortunately, wasn't that honest and prone to praise a woman's gifts," she added, crawling on top of him, entrancing him with her faint sweet smell. Her full breasts dangled before his face. "Negi. I think you are, against my earlier expectations, ready for the second practical lesson, namely intercourse."

"Inter--" he tried to place the word, until its meaning dawned on him, and scared him. "Isn't that how babies are made?"

"Yes, it is. However, there are spells and potions to prevent the conception from ever taking place," she said, settling down on his lap, only to find it to be too small and uncomfortable. He was strong enough to support her weight easily, but that didn't mean he made for a good seat. Arika got back up and began rummaging through the room. "Do you keep any age deceiving pills here?"

"Ah ... in the drawer right above Chamo's bed, between the monkey paw and the matchsticks," Negi offered helpfully.

"Thank you very much," she said, bolting over there, pulling out the small bottle of red and blue pills, and then walking back to Negi, grabbing him by the hand, and guiding him over to Satomi's bunk, which made him even more nervous. "How well versed are you in the usage of these?" She held up the bottle for him to see.

"Oh, I used them regularly in Mundus Magicus, to fight in the gladiatorial circuit," he recalled. "Why do you ask?"

"I'd like for you to use one to take on the appearance of, say, a sixteen year-old boy," she said, while filing that statement away for the rather long chat she planned to have with Rakan one of these days.

With another nod, he trusted and obeyed. As soon as his new form stood before her, her heart soared. His body was a nearly perfect lookalike of that man who had won over her heart and given her back the joy of living. Looking down, she saw his cock was even longer and thicker than Nagi's, a far cry from its small size in his child body. He'd make a girl extremely happy some day. No, he'd make one extremely happy that very night.

"So nice," she said, touching his hardness with her fingers and making him shudder. "You aren't thinking of this as a hardness, are you?" she correctly guessed, glaring mildly.

"Ah."

"What is it?"

"A cock! It, it is my cock!"

"Correct. And this," she added, spreading her vaginal lips with her fingers, "is my cunt. The cunt you came from, the cunt you'll soon cum into again." And with that, she fell on her back on the mattress, pulling him along with her to land on top of her body.

He wasn't very sure of what to do after that, but patiently, she guided him into the correct position, the tip of his ... 'cock' aligning itself with her frontal entrance. He felt it teasing the tight orifice, and, even though he understood the implicit notion that it was supposed to go in there, he wasn't sure it could be done. It seemed a very awkward thing to do even in the purely physical sense, nevermind the moral implications.

"Father," he said, unsure whether he was stalling for time or trying to convince her to stop. "I'm, I mean, we are, if we're doing this, it's like, how do they call it, like cheating on Father, and after all, we are --"

She caressed his cheeks and kissed his nose. "It's all right . We have what they call an open relationship. Our hearts and minds belong to each other, but we have never kept each other in a cage. We are free to extract pleasure from whenever we can find it, and he certainly has been with many others before."

"He had?" he whispered, even more rattled by this revelation. Although what he had learned about his father's personality had not melded with the traditional image of an English gentleman, he had thought, despite appearance, his father was a pefect gentleman inside, where it mattered. If he wasn't, what did that say about him, and about Negi himself, and his goals, and --

"Yesssss," Arika hissed, griping his cock firmly and pulling it inside of her, inch by inch, until it went as deep as it could. Negi grunted; it felt good, very good, like being surrounded by her hand, but better. And yet, there also was the sensation of being caught, almost painfully, stuck in there surrounded by that warmth softness.

"Ah!" he said.

"This is only the beginning," Arika said, grabbing his tight buttocks and using them as leverage to start moving him in and out of her, gently manipulating his hips. He allowed her to guide his first few, difficult strokes as she loosened herself, her own early (and unadmitted) nervousness subsiding as she at last, more or less, got back the gist of fucking. It had been quite a long while. After a dozen or so of slow and tentative initial pumps, she released his ass and told him, "You should have caught on the idea. Now do it yourself."

"Y-Yes." He obeyed like a good boy, planting his hands on Hakase's bedsheets and beginning to pump as best as he could, very fearfully at first, as if she was in danger of being ripped apart from his pelvic thrusts. He picked on a little more speed as the wonderful sensations began gaining ground on him, but that was still too slow for Arika's taste, once she got into the real swing of things. "Are you, does it feel good, because I have no idea, when do I need to stop, or--"

"You'll know where to stop when you get there," she said, hugging his neck and wrapping her long legs around his hips. "Keep fucking your mother. Do it hard. Do it strong. Do it long."

He nodded before starting to apply more power, yet not going at half of his full force. Negi grunted, breathing louder and heavier, but looking at her placid smile placated him. For several more minutes, they uttered no words, immersed into the silent communication of the most primal union, until he felt the building release that had surprised him when she had him in her mouth.

"I think, I'm going to --" he cried as he tried to pull back.

She responded by hugging him even harder against herself. "Don't stop!" Pump. "Give it to me!" Pump. "Cum inside!" Pump. "Give me my grandchildren!" Pump. "Give my children!" she cried. Pump, pump, pump, pump.

"But, but I don't think I'm ready ... to be a father yet!"

"Neither was I happy!" Pump. "To be a mother at your age, but we don't always get what we want!" Pump, pump, pump, pump, pump "Now cum! Cum in me!" she all but wailed, kicking around with her bare feet.

"Nnnghhh!" And he did as asked, and spilled three succesive charges of sperm inside of her cunt, clenching his teeth and then wheezing, falling fully on her as tenderly as he could.

Arika closed her eyes and focused her extra Royal Magic senses on her body. She saw, in the eye of her mind, the sperm cells shooting deep into her, chasing for the ovae. Sweetly, she whispered a quick spell, and the ovae inflated themselves and the semen visitors sped up, until one of them ran into an engorged egg and cracked through into it, the spark of new life germinating almost instantly. Arika cried again, taking her head back, shuddering between the bedsheets and him, her finger nails clawing at his strong back. She had not reached physical orgasm yet, but the intellectual sensation of finding herself completed, of having him back into her, creating a new combination of herself and him, made her reach a climax of a different kind.

Not like that prevented him from interpreting her reaction as pain. Alarmed, he shouted, "Mother! What, what happened! Have I hurt you? Are you okay? We could call Konoka-san!"

"Not yet," she said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "I am ... I am fine, Negi. Better than ever. It was just a... an explosion of happiness within me, after being together in a way that has made us closer than ever."

He blinked. "Oh ... Well. I, I am glad to hear you're pleased. But we should, we should dress up, Chisame must be about to arrive and ..." He looked down, blushing deeply. "I'm sure she'd be mad at us."

Looking at his adorably embarrassed and ashamed face, then at the clock on the wall, she responded with a nod. "Let us bathe," she said, disentangling herself from his member and sitting on the bed. Stray tiny droplets of pearly white fell from Negi's softened penis on the sheets, which Arika quickly pulled away for later replacement. Hakase-san was so clueless about her own living conditions she wouldn't even notice the change. Arika made her son stand up with her, moving his hand aside when he tried to cover himself. "Don't ever be ashamed of your beautiful, manly body. Besides, it is pointless after what we have just done, wouldn't you agree?"

He had to relent on that point, and, with the struggle blown out of him, was led into the shower stall without any protests. For once, he didn't fight back when she began cleaning up his body as well as hers. She was far more gentle than Chisame ever was at scrubbing him, and somehow, that made him hard again, much to his shame. She smiled, and they copulated again, under the running water. He was, once again, a quick learner, and had no problems adapting himself to a standing position.

Then she cleaned him up again. They finished barely in time before Satomi's return.

* * *

 

Chisame got back late, with a backpack overstuffed with books she didn't want to read, since they had been handpicked by a proud Haruna. She was so mortified by having those things on her, she waited until it was dark enough to make it home without running into any more classmates. Returning those books to the Library, in daylight hours, was going to be a real bitch.

As expected, she found some dinner for her on the table, the ermine snoring in his drawer with flushed cheeks and alcoholic hiccups, Satomi sleeping peacefully in her bunk, and -- in a new development -- Arika and Negi, in pajamas, cuddled together on Chisame's own bunk. The girl looked up at them, with a mixture of bewilderment over having HER bed taken away like that and another emotion, a deeper, worse one that hurt her inside. An emotion she couldn't define or even want to aknowledge, so she didn't. She only kept staring, mutely wondering what do do, until Arika opened an eye and made a vague gesture Chisame, not being Asuna, clearly recognized as an invitation to come hither.

Although her mind was too wrecked to recognize the seductive hints in that motion, she stil refused it energetically, with a strong shake of her head. She had her pride. So Hasegawa Chisame turned around briskly and walked out of the room. A quick dinner alone later, she settled herself on the couch and tried to sleep.

Arika sighed to herself. Oh well, first steps never were easy. But they would get there, sooner or later. They would have her daughter, and Nagi's daughters, and Nagi himself, and then her fractured family would be complete once again. And would even grow.

With thoughts of her grandchildren and children/grandchildren running through her thoughts, Arika Entheofushia drifted slowly into the sea of dreams.

* * *

Elsewhere in Mahora, a busty young woman with short orange hair returned to her dorm room after a hard day of working at a local maid cafe. Tired and apathetic, it was only a casual motion of her head which gave her  a glimpse of the sky before walking in. And then she froze where she was.

With her late parents, she had often watched the nocturnal skies, back when Takumi was only a small child, a toddler. They would teach her of the planets and stars, and while that never bloomed into a love for astronomy, she nonetheless could easily recognize Mars at first sight.

What she didn't recognize was the intense aura of bright red surrounding Mars right now. Despite the popular idea of Mars as the 'Red Planet', it had never looked that way, like an eye of blood staring down, to her.

And Tokiha Mai trembled.

* * *

 

 **NEXT** : Mai.


	2. Period One: Mai

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization and proofreading.

I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

  

  
**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period One: Mai.**

* * *

_Then:_

"I'm afraid there's not much else to do at this point, other than waiting for a favorable development," the doctor told her, as the girl sat with her fists on her knees before his desk. His tone was sympathetic and considerate, but also conveyed the air of a tired man who had lost his capacity to cheer others long ago. "He certainly shows a desire to improve his condition, and that's good. However, my advice would be to move him to warmer climates, since low temperatures are a risk factor for his illness. I know that'd be difficult for you, but ..."

  
"We'll find a way," she promised. She would hate to write their guardian again with a new request she doubted she ever could repay, but it didn't matter if it was for Takumi's sake.

  
Perhaps surprisingly, their guardian was understanding and generous this once. Even though he never wanted to have anything to do with them personally, at least he gave them free reign, even if their funds were delivered late more often than not, forcing Tokiha Mai to take part time jobs from a very young age. This time, however, he was actually quite helpful. Only two days after Mai's call, he'd called back saying he had found an opening for them at the prestigious Mahora Academy, near the church where he served. Mahora was further south, and it had pleasant, mostly warm weather for the majority of the year. It still wasn't Okinawa, but then again, perhaps it was better that way. Takumi sometimes reacted badly to extreme heat, as well.

  
He even paid for a nice cruise for them, one Takumi actually enjoyed with a bliss he hadn't shown in more than a year. And thus, Mai was happy as well. There had been a slight incident on the way there, just as they were about to reach Mahora, and reportedly someone had boarded the boat with a gun. Apparently, someone else had faced that person with a gun of their own, and for several moments, there were the loud, intense sounds of a shootout down the boat. But it passed as quickly as it had started, and peace returned to the boat for the rest of the trip.

  
Despite her questions to the crew, Mai never got an explanation on the nature of those involved with the incident, or if they even had caught them. They seemed quite eager to just shuffle them off as soon as they reached their destination. But that was just as well, and she quickly filed the event away.

* * *

  
_Now:_

  
For the last six months, Takumi's health had improved greatly. He was able to move in with a new roommate, a dry but dutiful and helpful boy named Akira. Mai had been terribly scared for him for the first few weeks, calling him and checking on him almost constantly, but eventually, she calmed down and decided it was okay to let him forge his own path now. He stopped coughing and having fainting spells, and his endurance improved to the point where Doctor Ono, his local physician, allowed him to do PE again.

  
Things had looked very good until several weeks ago, shortly before the start of the summer holiday. Takumi's illness had returned, abruptly and brutally, and his white cell count dropped down to alarming levels in less than a week. His skin lost pigmentation once again, and large spots began appearing all over it. His lungs started failing as well, and so did his bladder. Before that week was over, he was admitted to the Mahora Hospital. He had been there ever since.

  
And that was where she would head that morning, before hitting classes. She had, thusly, gotten up earlier than her rooommate and classmate, Higurashi Akane, an affable but meek girl of Mai's age, but considerably lesser physical development. Akane would always excuse her to the teachers whenever Mai's visit hours lasted more than expected and she would arrive late to classes. For now, however, she slept silently in the upper bunk under Hello Kitty bedsheets, while Mai finished fixing their breakfast. She ate hers quietly before getting up and leaving one covered plate for Akane, then running out the front door as fast as she could.

  
It was still too early for most Mahora students. The only one Mai regularly ran into at those hours was that likable newspaper girl with the mismatched eyes, but they both always were busy, so they'd only traded a few words every then and now. That girl, named Asuna, now knew Mai had a kid brother at the hospital, but Mai knew nothing about her, other than the fact she was in one of Negi-sensei's classes.

  
"Good morning!"

  
"Good morning, Sempai!"

  
That was all they said to each other that morning, as their paths crossed briefly once again. Then they forgot all about each other for the moment, both being too concerned with their respective predicaments.

  
And, in Asuna's case, too busy to actually notice a blonde shadow with eyes like her own discreetly following her, with the stealthy expertise of a predatory panther.

  
And, in Mai's case, too busy to notice a strange, tiny white animal sitting on top of perches every two blocks or so, watching at her in intent mutism, waving a very long tail, and occasionally its long ears as well.

  
What Mai did notice as she ran, however, was Mars still looked red and huge in the sky, even when the first rays of dawn began making their way down. It was very unnerving and even sinister, but it still was another thing that didn't matter now.

  
All that mattered was Takumi.

  
The unnoticed small creature watched her entering the hospital, regarded the building for several moments with a curiously circumspect air, and then turned around and hopped down the street.

  
It had work to do, but the first step of any good work is good planning.

 

* * *

 

  
Takumi had a hospital room all to himself, perhaps due to their tutor's unexpected largesse, but mostly, no doubt, as a result of his critical condition. It was such a nice, pleasant and quiet room taken on its own, Mai found herself wishing Takumi could get a place like it once he was healthy. But of course, those were pipe dreams. What actually mattered was for him to get better, but looking at him now, wasting away in his bed, pale and thin, with bags under his eyes and numerous syringe marks on his arms, connected to a liquid feed, that looked like a hopeless dream buried under the nightmare that was his mysterious illness.

  
"I slept far better last night, actually," he reassured her, his smaller hand on hers, his smile wavering but trying. "You?"

  
"Oh, not that well. You know Akane, that party animal." They laughed as best they could at the joke. Then she pulled a notebook out from her bag. "Ah, Akira-kun asked me to give you this. He'll come after classes, but since you told him you wanted to see it as soon as you could --"

  
"But I didn't mean this way. How will he --"

  
"I'm sure he has another notebook or two, silly!" She carefully ruffled his dark red hair, like she had done since their earliest childhood. "He ... he's a very good kid. Could be more talkative, but ..."

  
"Ah, yeah. He was raised in a very traditional home." He coughed briefly, but quickly gestured for Mai to stay in her chair. He swallowed the mouthful of blood in his hand before she could notice it, and added, "Oneechan. If ... in the event anything ever happens to me, tell ... tell Akira I'm sorry."

  
"What? Why should you be sorry?"

  
He looked aside. "Nothing. Nothing too important, I guess. Although I suppose it meant a lot for him. Just tell him I'm sorry I couldn't ever truly understand him. He'll know what I mean."

  
"Tell him yourself. He'll be here this afternoon, and, anyway, nothing's going to happen to you! Wrap your mind around that, okay?"

  
"I'll try," he promised blandly.

  
"No tries. You had been doing fine until now. This ... this is only a momentary setback! Maybe, maybe you just went too fast with your recovery ... yeah, that's it, you'll take it slower next time, and then your body will recover for good."

  
"I guess so," he relented. "Still, even if I lived a hundred years ... I don't think I could apologize to Akira enough."

  
"Why are you saying that? What could you have done to that boy?"

  
"It's not so much what I did, but what I didn't. Akira is a great person, but I fear for his happiness. Just like I fear for yours, Oneechan."

  
"As long as you're happy, I will be too. You're all I need."

  
He finally looked back at her face, with wet eyes. "And you're all I need too, Oneechan. I ... I want you to know that, no, more than that, I want you to always remember that, but at the same time ... I hope that never ties you to me, to prevent you from being happy once I --"

  
"Takumi!"

  
"Oneechan, please! Even if I recover from this, we both know you'll outlive me!"

  
"We can't know that! Maybe a truck will run me over and--" She let the sentence unfinished when she realized it was a horrible attempt at levity, and she only had soured him more rather than lifting his spirits. "Takumi, please, all the doctors have said you need to keep a good state of mind."

  
"As they say, the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak, Oneechan," he lamented, shaking his head. "I have tried, God knows I have tried, so hard, until it, too, hurt. I tried it all just for you, because you're the only thing that's left for me, my only reason, but ... Oneechan, I'm so very tired. I am in so much pain, I want for it to end already, no matter how!" He crumbled crying into her arms, making her suffer from severe knots in her throat and stomach. Supporting her chin on his scalp, she cried as well. "I know it's selfish, I know it isn't what you want, but I can't endure it anymore! And it isn't fair to you either, making you waste your life looking after me, and ... just let me go, Oneechan, please!"

  
"Oh, Takumi, my baby, I'll never do that," she rocked him gently, back and forth, in her arms. "Don't, don't say such silly things. What would I ever do without you? How could I live with myself knowing I let you go? I know you're stronger than you think, all you need is to --" 

"I love you," he sobbed, keeping his head under her breasts.

  
"I love you too, Takumi, I love you so very much --"

  
"No! That isn't what I mean!" he said. "I love you in a different way! Ever since, ever since a couple years back, as I realized you were, not only the best sister, but --"

  
"Takumi?" she asked. She was too struck by the sudden revelation to even actually understand it yet.

  
After swallowing a huge knot, he forced himself to say, "I think, no, I'm sure, somehow, this is how a man loves a woman. I know I'm still thirteen, but I know I won't ever feel this way for anyone else! And I didn't want to tell you, but I wanted you, needed you to know, because, because I know now you'll hate me, but maybe that's for the best, because you'll know, you'll know I'm not worth your ... your ..." The next word came smaller and quieter than ever. "... love."

  
For several moments, Mai just sat there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed, in complete silence, looking down at him, watching him cry. Then she hugged him once again, and whispered, "I still love you. You're confused, that's all, you'll grow up, and realize what's true love, and, and you'll meet a much nicer girl than me, and you'll be happy together, and ... and ... and you'll visit me with your kids, and we'll laugh ... we'll laugh at what we discussed today ... It's so ... so dumb ... like in a melodrama ..."

  
His anguished sobs made her realize, with great pain, she had said the wrong thing once more. Why did she always say the wrong thing? Why was there only one thing she could ever say without screwing things up?

  
So she repeated that thing yet again.

  
"I love you." She kissed his forehead. Then, after a moment of doubt, for his sake and nothing else, no sir, to give him something to live, to at least feed his delusions until he was strong enough to live without them, she mentally prayed for her parents' forgiveness, and landed a warm, not deep, but firm and unmistakable, kiss on his lips.

  
That was when the room's door opened, and she pulled away immediately, leaving Takumi too shocked to do anything but sputter in confusion.

  
The young but tall doctor with glasses and brown hair standing at the doorstep was no less confused and startled. "Oh my ... I mean ... um ... Tokiha-san  ..."

  
"G-Good morning, Ono-sensei!" the girl giggled shakily, turning her head towards him as if nothing had happened. "Ah, you look great today, I was just cleaning something in Takumi's eye, since he was --"

  
"Ahh, sure, of course," the medic nodded rigidly. "Tokiha-san, could I talk to you privately for a moment, p-p-please?"

  
Mai had that feeling of being stabbed in the stomach she often had when someone was about to give her devastating news.

 

* * *

  
After a long, rational, sensible exposition on the special conditions of Takumi's current state, and how there still were hopes for it, even if he was too weak to even consider a transplant without having his vitals collapsing, Mai decided she'd had enough and dryly asked the sole other human being with her in the office, "How long's he got?"

  
"As I told you," Ono Tofu still tried to sound gentle and hopeful despite everything, "there's no way to know for sure. Medicine is making advances every moment, and while we might have reached a point where we can't do more for you, that doesn't mean there aren't many specialists across Japan who still might help you. We aren't the ultimate medical authorities in the country."

  
"We have visited those, too," Mai said, wiping the corners of her eyes with a tissue. She had to be strong. She wouldn't crumble down crying before the doctor. All she had to do was endure until she could walk out.

  
"I'll recommend you to a friend of mine in Tomobiki," the doctor told her. "Not to mention, I have a colleague in America, Doctor Connors, who has recently told me he's on the verge of a historical breakthrough on the regenerative capacities of the human body. It might be ready as soon as --"

  
"How long does Takumi have left, according to your calculations, Sensei?" Mai repeated herself, struggling fiercely against the tears.

  
He knew it made no sense to try to soften the blow anymore. "Two weeks at worst, three months at best. Our average amounts to one month and a half, but --"

  
"I see," she said, applying the tissue to her eyes with greater force. "Thank you for being honest with me. Most doctors aren't."

  
"Tokiha-san, please, don't quit now, not after you've gone so far, after all Takumi-kun has fought to live."

  
"But you can't do anything else for him, can you?"

  
The man lowered his gaze. It never was easy. No matter how many times he broke those news, they never felt natural at all to tell. Children shouldn't die. Maybe his mother had been right and he shouldn't have become a doctor. Or if he had, he at least would better have stayed at his small clinic in the suburbs. "I'm afraid we can't," he had to admit.

  
"Perhaps ... maybe it'd be better, then, if I took him home, wouldn't it?" she half-sobbed, more than she cared to admit to herself. "At least that way, he'll be in a warmer ... no, not that I'm speaking ill of your hospital, it's just ..."

  
"I know," he said, regarding her tearful face for a moment, then recalling what he had seen in the patient's room. "Tokiha-san, I hate to bring this up now of all times, but before even thinking of writing any release pass, I have to know --"

  
"I was cleaning something, something in his eyes, and then, and then I kissed his nose!" she protested. "That's all I did! Did you think you saw anything else?!"  
The man remained still on his chair, seeing her break down in tears, cursing himself.

  
"Takumi is happy with me! And I'm only happy with him! We, he has the right to spend his last days where he'll feel the best! I swear to God I'll kill myself if I don't even get to tell him goodbye!"

  
He placed a strong but gentle hand on her shoulder. "Cry all you want, but please don't cry over any decision of mine. I trust you. I can feel how much you truly love him. It's okay. I know he won't be better anywhere than at your side."

  
She couldn't talk coherently anymore, just sob into her hands, which cupped her face tightly. Her elbows dug onto the desk.

  
The Doctor made his decision. He had seen the young woman's devotion, he had witnessed far too many things now to be deterred by the vision of a single moment. Maybe, after all, he had seen things incorrectly from his angle. And even if he hadn't, maybe their faces had just made the wrong moves at the wrong time. It happened at times. And even if not, there were worse things than a short peck on the lips. It wasn't completely unheard for some mothers to give small chaste kisses on their babies' mouths, and that girl was practically her brother's mother.

  
Ono Tofu had never been hugged, much less kissed, too much by his own mother, so he didn't have a lot of expertise on that particular subject. But he still recognized true love when he saw it. And as one Tendo Kimiko had once told him, when love was requited and honest, it always brought comfort and never pain.

Never.

  
As he pulled out a release order from his desk's drawers, he looked at the crying girl and pitied her in silence.

  
Over the girl's shoulder, he could also see, hanging next to his door, his old skeleton, his fondly regarded good luck charm, hanging on display. He had owned it since his days in the University, then in his Nerima clinic, and now there. He knew well what it stood for in the minds of nearly all human beings.

  
And yet, before today, it had never looked to him like a grim reminder of death.

 

* * *

  
The small white creature sat on a rooftop watching Mai leaving the Hospital, tearfully holding a folder against her chest. Its shiny eyes, devoid of any emotion, watched her go, briefly bumping into a tall boy around her age, with bleached down hair and thick sideburns, wearing a Mahora High uniform.

  
She blurted out a quick apology to the bewildered boy, trying her best not to look at his face, and then ran away just as quickly. "I'm in a hurry, sorry!"

  
The petite animal tilted its head to one side, looking back and forth between the retreating girl and the boy, who just stood there cluelessly before storming off as well, in the opposite direction.

  
Then it spoke, although 'speaking' might be an inaccurate term. Rather, its voice, one that sounded either feminine or very childish, rang without actual sound in the mind of the girl who had just appeared behind him.

  
_Shouldn't you be in classes? You'll get in trouble again. That would be highly inconvenient for your objectives._

  
"Let me decide what's the best for my own interests," the girl told it as coldly as they come, the breeze caressing her long, silky and dark hair. "Why are you targeting that girl?"

  
_She has a burning dream, a passion that longs for fulfillment,_ the creature's thoughts echoed in the girl's head, making her wince more in anger than anything else. _You could say I target her, but actually, even if she doesn't realize it, she's the one searching, in her dreams, for something like me. That's the mark of someone destined to be a Magical Princess. That, and she can see the signs._ Its head tilted up, where the crimson Mars was clearly visible to both it and the girl. _Regardless, as long as it isn't Madoka-san, you don't care, do you?_

  
"No. No, I don't."

  
_Then, may I ask why are you here?_

  
The girl answered by pulling a slick, black handgun out and shooting the small animal in the head, from behind.

  
_What have I ever done to you, Akemi Homura-san?_ it asked, lying there in a quickly expanding pool of its own blood, as the girl turned around to leave. _I'm only an instrument of your own desires, needs and inner magic. By hurting me, aren't you only sublimating your own desires to hurt yourselves? That is not a very nice thing_.

  
"You don't even know the meaning of nice, Incubator," the girl said before leaping off the rooftop.

  
The mortally wounded animal sighed to itself, waiting for its newest regenerated body to spawn. Truly, this was a regrettable waste of its resources.

  
But at the very least, it supposed, she was nicer than Natsuki-san.

* * *

  
"Tokiha-san!" Minamoto Shizuna said, stopping writing her latest report as the tearful young woman entered her office. "Shouldn't you be in class by now?"

  
Shizuna was used to students and even teachers coming to her for advice. Technically, Arai Chie was the school councillor, but people tended to find her inattentive and, frankly, of questionable help at best. So they usually just headed to Shizuna's office instead, and had Shizuna had an actual social life of her own, or had Arai cared about not having to do her own work, there might have been problems. The way things were, however, things tended to work out in the end.

  
Usually.

  
The girl pulled a chair back, let herself drop into it, and said, sniffling her tears away, "I took the day off. Minamoto-sensei, I ... I need some serious advice on ... on ..."

 

* * *

  
Elsewhere, several campus blocks away, a devastated Higurashi Akane kept on staring at her cellphone, and the short text message Mai had sent her before heading into Minamoto's office. She took a sharp bite of her lower lip and struggled to control her tears. Although she had only known Mai for a short time, she had bonded with her more than with anyone else before, which admittedly wasn't an extremely difficult achievement for Mai. Accepting and affable as Akane was, she had always been too shy to get close to others, and her family life ... well ...

  
The dark haired girl with glasses sitting at her left craned her neck to give her a not-terribly discreet gaze and ask, in a low voice, "It's Mai-chan, isn't she?"

  
Quickly, Akane closed the cellphone and nodded. "Ah ... ah-hah. She, she won't be coming today after all. I'd better tell Sakomizu-sensei."

  
"Your attention, please, Higurashi-kun, Harada-kun, everyone," their portly, unkempt looking teacher, an odd figure with a voluminous dark brown hairstyle, tapped twice on the blackboard to call for their attention. "I was telling you, as part of Mahora's recent expansion program, aimed at giving all genders and social groups equal opportunities, not to mention to make up for the sectors destroyed during the summer incident, we'll be taking a new student into our class, starting today. I want you all to welcome Tate Yuuichi-kun."

  
The tall man with the hair of a delinquent and the noticeable scar in a hand stepped ahead awkwardly. "Um, good morning, everyone. I hope to get along great with all of you. My hobby used to be kendo, but I'm looking for something new, since I'm not practicing it anymore."

  
Akane ignored the just as awkward introduction (Kazuya-kun was far more handsome and classier than that guy, anyway) as she couldn't stop thinking about Mai-chan and her poor little brother. If only she could do something, anything, for them.

  
Casually, she caught an accidental glimpse through the nearest window. Sure enough, there it was, in the sky, the red Mars. There was that, too, although she doubted it mattered much in the great scheme of things. She would start worrying about her own sanity when she heard Negi-sensei's ermine talking while rummaging through her underwear, like poor Yayoi-chan at the bottom of the class.

* * *

  
Tokiha looked slightly more relieved as she left the busty blonde's office. "Thank you so very much, Minamoto-sensei. I'm sorry to take so much time away from you."

  
"It's no bother, Tokiha-san. Come back whenever you need anything else. I'm just sorry I couldn't do anything else for you."

  
"Don't worry, you already have... Oh, s-sorry!" she almost had bumped into a very beautiful woman with mismatched eyes and long blond hair, wearing a fitting white dress. "I was on my way out!" she excused herself. If the woman was part of the staff, last thing Mai wanted now was to get Shizuna in trouble with her. "Excuse me!" she bowed and hurried away.

  
Arika kept looking at her, with interest. "A good, hard working and honest young woman, but overcome by a great grief. Most youngsters crack under that type of pressure."

  
"Ah, Arika-sama!" the teacher said. "Do you know Tokiha-san?"

  
The other woman shook her head as she closed the door behind herself. "I deduced it from her behavior, red eyes, and her being here during classes. If she has indeed taken too long from your agenda, I always can return another day, but I would be deeply thankful if you could assist me with a problem of my own today."

  
Shizuna sighed inwardly, but outside, just smiled pleasantly and set her report aside. "Of course, I'd love to. How is your reunion with Negi-sensei going?"

  
"Oh, excellently. I have no complains at all there. We are far closer than I had dared to expect, as a matter of fact. He is very accepting of me, and he has given me a most wonderful gift. He is loving and tender, and I couldn't ask for a better son."

  
Shizuna nodded. "I figured he would pose no problems. He's a wonderful young man. You have every right to be proud of him. But then, what's troubling you?"

  
"My other child. Or rather, how to approach her with the revelation I am her mother. I have gathered she is far more ... temperamental and volatile than Negi is."

  
Both the content of those words and the casual, yet serious and meaningful, tone in which they had been said made Shizuna drop the pen she was holding. Something that hadn't happened even when Tokiha-san had told her that her brother would be dying shortly. "E-excuse me?"

  
Arika nodded. "Asuna is my daughter, born before I met Nagi. Her father is ..." She paused dubiously. "Well, I would prefer to not speak about him now. Suffice to say, he is dead and, callous as it may sound, everyone is better off because of it. As you'll understand, I'm wary of approaching her with the news. Takahata does know, but ... I would prefer a woman's advice, a woman who knows Asuna without being emotionally involved with her, before deciding on a course of action regarding her."

  
"... emotionally involved...?" Shizuna briefly wondered aloud before rasping. Surely she only meant how Takahata had cared about Asuna as pretty much a daughter. How could she mean anything else? For a second, Shizuna felt ashamed of herself. "Of course. Oh my. Well, you honor me with your trust, on a matter that delicate and ... personal, but I'm not sure I can ... I have no children of my own, and --"

  
"You have a natural gift with children, I have learned that much," the other blonde said, "And Asuna and Negi both speak highly of you. You seem to have a knowledge of them far surpassing my own."

  
"Oh. Well, honesty is the best policy, naturally. I think Asuna might take it with disbelief and difficulty at the start, but ... yes, I believe she will cope and even accept it with relish quickly. She's strong, and bounces back from emotional stress easily. Especially since she's always loved the idea of finding her real family, and Negi is already like a little brother for her. They even fight like siblings at times." She laughed fondly. "So yes, I think you should take her aside under the right circumstances, during a moment of peace, maybe with Negi ... does Negi already know?"

  
"Indeed. He's clever, and he already suspected a blood relationship between them. He has taken it with joy, but shares my concerns."

  
"Then both of you should be with her at the time, in my opinion. I could be there, as well, if you --"

  
"Thank you, but you have already gone out of your way to help our family." Arika bowed formally. "I am indebted to you once more. Your advice is sound, and it has soothed my soul. I look forward to rewarding you with favors of our own as soon as we are able to."

  
"Oh, thank you, but don't think anything of it. I... I don't exactly need anything important... for now..."

  
Arika smiled at her. "You will be an excellent mother. Someday."

  
And if she had it her way, that day would come sooner than Shizuna dared to dream.

 

* * *

  
Somehow, they got all the special paperwork ready in time to move Takumi's scarce belongings into Mai and Akane's dorm by the next evening. They even had a small welcome party, with Harada Chie, Senoh Aoi, and Takumi's roommate Okuzaki Akira attending. Mai had told her brother he'd just be staying there until he was well enough to move away again, but Akane could tell from his expression that he wasn't buying it, despite his best attempts to look the part. Regardless, they had as good a time as they could, under the present circumstances.

  
After Mai tucked Takumi into his new bed, she walked outside to look at the sky. Eventually, Akane walked out after her. "If the Dorm Supervisor catches you out at this time, she'll go postal on you, Mai-san," she warned. "Remember what she did to Shirai Kuroko-san?"

  
"Who?" Mai blinked, snapping out of it, "Oh, I know. The girl in the Discipline Committee. I, I'll get back in soon, Akane-chan. I just... need to be alone for a while."

  
"Of course. I'm sorry," the shorter girl apologized, and began to walk in.

  
"Akane-chan, no, wait," Mai said all of a sudden.

  
So Akane stopped. "Yes?"

  
"I know this might sound totally crazy, but, haven't you noticed something ... weird about Mars lately?"

  
Higurashi made a mild pause before saying. "Oh ... so Mai-san can see it too? I, I mean, the red color, the slight aura around it? Thank God, I thought I was the only one!"

  
"So you see it too!" Mai looked at her face, and Akane nodded. It was odd to be talking about this right now, but anything that distracted Mai for a while, no matter how brief of a while, couldn't be all that bad. "What do you think it might be?"

  
"I don't know. I don't think a lot about it. I know Kazuya-kun can't see it, but I've been afraid of asking anyone else."

  
"Including me?"

  
"Mai-san, you already had too much on your mind. I didn't want to bother you with something so ... banal."

  
The bustier female nodded slowly. "Of course. Thank you, Akane-chan." She stretched her arms above her head. "Well, who cares, anyway? It's probably nothing. The news would be going mad about it if it truly mattered at all. I think I'll blame air pollution."

  
"Sounds reasonable," Akane mused as she followed Mai back inside, closing behind them. "I think I'll go sleep early. Good night, Mai-san."

  
"Good night, Akane-chan. And again, thanks for helping with the party."

  
Once the lights were off, the small pair of shiny eyes sparkled again, between the branches of the closest tree to the building.

  
_The Night is coming_.

 

* * *

  
The next morning was relatively uneventful and quiet, other than Mai's unrest over leaving Takumi home alone, even if he still hadn't yet reached a point where he could die at any given moment, and despite him being just a cellphone call away from having her at his side immediately. She would have felt marginally better if she had been aware that Akira-kun was, as a matter of fact, right next to his window the whole time, concealed from most passers-by in ninja cloaking. (Not all shinobi from Akira's village were as pointlessly loud as that Uzumaki idiot, after all. Some of them actually were good at the whole 'stealth' part of being ninja.) But alas.

  
She had seen the new boy, of course, but had barely paid him any attention. She guessed he was kind of cute in his own way, although nowhere nearly as much as School Council Vice President Kanzaki. But then again, none of that really mattered now. There had been a time, shortly after entering Mahora, during Takumi's miracle recovery, when Mai set her sights on Vice President Kanzaki Reito, that affable and elegant young man from a mysterious aristocratic family. She had even tried to apply for an assistant job with the Council, only to be bluntly rejected by Suzushiro Haruka, the leader of the Discipline Commitee.

  
Looking back at it now, Mai guessed it had been for the best. Not only she wouldn't have any time for any jobs now (she had taken a free week at the Maid Cafe, and she was seriously thinking of quitting altogether), but the rumors said Kanzaki-sempai and Council President Fujino Shizuru were an item. There was no way Mai could ever compete with the beloved daughter of one of Kyoto's most influential families.

  
"He was checking you out, you know," Harada told her as they walked out of classes along with Senoh Aoi, chuckling under her breath.

  
"Ah? Who do you mean?" Mai snapped out of her concerned daze to look at her.

  
"The new guy!" Chie told her. "Don't tell me you hadn't noticed it! He was so blatant, he was quite pitiful," she said  while spinning a finger in circles, pointing in the general direction of Mai's breasts. "Then again, I understand he comes from an all boys school, so you really can't blame him for being --"

  
Mai tossed her hands up. "I get it! Geez, no wonder they say ignorance is bliss. That's something I really didn't need to know."

  
"How's Takumi-kun doing?" asked the long haired, fair skinned Aoi, with a vivacious interest Mai didn't really like. That tone Aoi always used when talking about, or worse, to Takumi wasn't one of a girl who simply happened to find younger boys cute. It was bonafide Class 3-A Tone. "Did he sleep well through his first night with you?"

  
"His first night with me _here_ ," Mai corrected, then shrugged. "Yeah, he slept well. You know him. He ... he never causes any problems."

  
They split near the statue of Academy founder Himeno Fumi to take their separate ways. Akane had gone her own way even sooner, heading for the Maid Cafe, and mostly, to Kazuya-san. Mai was happy for her, at the very least. She could tell Kazuya-san was a decent, honest boy. In a way, he was much like an older ...

  
... Takumi ...

  
Mai all but ran along the zig-zagging path leading to her dorm, ignoring everyday sights like Itoshiki-sensei hanging from a tree, or those pink haired Loli twins kissing in the bushes. Very soon, she reached the entrance, which was deserted save for a boy even younger than Takumi, who was either just walking in himself or pretending to do so.

  
Negi-sensei. He lived two stories above, with his two 3-A roommates and students. "Good afternoon, Sensei," she respectfully greeted. He didn't teach her any classes, and normally, she came back from her job long after his extra classes finished, so they rarely ever met. Then she saw the gorgeous blond woman who had been talking with him as they entered the building. "Ah! You are --"

  
"Oh. Tokiha-san, isn't that correct?" the stranger spoke before Negi could speak. "We met briefly two days ago, at Minamoto-sensei's office." Her voice had a curious but pleasant foreign accent to it. "I am Arika Springfield, Negi's mother. I find myself living with him, Miss Hasegawa and Miss Hakase for the time being."

  
"She just moved in last week," Negi offered quickly. "If any of us can help you with anything, Tokiha-san, we'd be enchanted to --"

  
"Ahh ... oh, thanks, Sensei, but ... but it won't be necessary, really!" Mai said just as quickly. "I had been having some ... slight personal problems, but  ... I have found a way to cope, I mean, to solve them. Pleased to meet you, Arika-sama, really." She bowed her head for the woman. "But my little brother just moved in with us, yesterday, only for a while, mind you, and it's all according to the regulations, but --!"

  
Negi placated her with a hand gesture. "We know, Tokiha-san. As residents ourselves, we were notified by Management. I think it's admirable you take so great a care of your brother. Why, my sister Nekane --"

  
And then he stopped nervously, giving a short back glance at Arika's even and stoic face.

  
"I mean," Negi continued, not all that smoothly, "for a time, my dear mother was unable, against her will, to look after me, so Nekane was ... like a second mother for me. Um, I understand you'll want to be with Tokiha-kun as soon as possible, so ..."

  
"Thanks a million, Sensei," the girl said, with a last nod before quickly going for her door now the boy had subtly stepped aside. "Ah ... see you later!" she said before closing it behind herself.

  
Negi sighed. "Why do I have the feeling that could have gone better?" And then, lowering his voice even more, "Mother, I'm not that good talking with girls. If I get this tongue-tied with Tokiha-san, how much will I stumble while telling Asuna-san she's my --"

  
Two delicate yet firm fingers were placed on his mouth. "The walls have ears," Arika whispered. "Let us keep debating this elsewhere, but rest assured, Negi, I will help you to relate far more easily to women."

  
That statement, innocent in and of itself, somehow managed to convey a subtle air of dread to Negi. Regardless, he could only nod.

* * *

  
Meanwhile, Mai left her shoes near the door, and then walked further in, with a sigh. "Takumi, I'm home! Takumi?"

  
There was a soft rustling of leaves in the tree near their window. Mai looked outside for a moment, completely failed to notice the fleeing Kunoichi, shrugged the noise off as Sensei's pet ermine sneaking around again, and repeated herself. "Takumi?"

 

His voice came, weak and tired, from the bathroom. "Nee-chan ... I'm here ..."

  
"Takumi?" she said a third time, heading for the bath's door and pulling it open, making him shriek in shame, pushing his hands over his crotch. Mai saw the clothes he had hung aside, and the full furo, and frowned. "What are you trying to do to yourself? The doctors and nurses have told you over and over you're still too weak to bathe by yourself! Do you want to faint and drown alone?"

  
He looked aside, tying a towel around his scrawny waist. "No."

  
"Then why did you do this?!"

  
"Does it make any actual difference?"

  
"What ... of course it does! Do you want me to walk in here and find you dead in the tub? Takumi!"

  
He sighed, exasperated, too reluctant to break the farce and be open about preferring that to see her crying as he wasted away in a bed. "Of course I don't, but, but that wouldn't happen! And frankly ... frankly, Nee-chan, I'm already sick of being bathed by strangers, like a ... like a thing to be pitied! I know I can do this, I --"

  
"No. No, you can't!" There was another sigh, and a softening of her tone. "But it's okay, I swear you won't be bathed by strangers anymore. Your sister will help you, just like when we were younger."

  
"Wha --? NO!" he protested vehemently, turning to look at her as Mai unbuttoned her jacket and pulled it over her head. "That's even worse!"

  
"Oh, don't be a crybaby. You never complained before," Mai said while unzipping her skirt.

  
"That, that was before!" he blushed, averting his gaze as the skirt hit the tiled light blue floor. "You, you ... onee-chan, you remember, th-the other day, don't you? What I told you ... in the hospital ... please ... don't make this any harder for me ..."

  
As tears began pooling in his eyes, she caught him in a gentle, loving embrace. "Takumi-kun. Don't be silly. You are too innocent and pure. You're just confused about what you're feeling, and you've watched too many weird movies. I don't think you're actually feeling what you think you're feeling."

  
"What ... no, I am!" he said, squirming as she undid his towel, yanking it aside and then forcing him to sit down to be scrubbed, herself reduced to her white bra and panties. "I am, seriously, Onee-chan! Take me seriously for once!"

  
"Shhhh," Mai said as she began washing his back. "Silly Takumi-kun. Relax. I won't hold anything of what you said against you. It's natural for you to get wrong ideas, but soon, you'll realize what true love is, and ..." She teared up in silence as she kept him looking away from her. "Soon, you'll find yourself a girl who really can love you back ... like you deserve ..."

  
Takumi only could wonder now, mortified, how the blood was flowing so efficiently to his penis at the moment, when he had been having so many circulation problems all over the rest of his body lately. He chose to close his eyes and think of baseball (he was a Giants fan) while he was washed, then cringed as her hands massaged his shoulders, and finally breathed easier when the hands pulled back.

  
His relief didn't last long.

  
"Get in the tub," she said, and Takumi's mind shorted out.

  
"With ... with you?" he stuttered.

  
There was a short pause, and then she asked, "Do you want to get in with me?"

  
He cursed himself inwardly. Why had he, out of nowhere, assumed she'd get in with him? She had given no signs of it, because she wasn't a weirdo pervert like him, otherwise she'd have stripped down completely instead of just to something that wasn't worse at all than a bikini, and now he had --

  
Seeing that he wasn't answering, and he was starting to look even worse from her end, Mai sighed softly and said, "If that's what you really want, I ... I have no issues with it."

  
Takumi tensed up momentarily, right before being grabbed by the armpits and gently lifted off his feet, yelping and trying to cover his dangling genitals. His sister tenderly guided him to the furo, making him sit down inside it. That was when he finally could say, "No, no! I mean, thank you, but it's not proper anymore! I didn't mean that at all, I just assumed, stupidly --"

  
"It's not stupid to assume I'll be there for you, at your side, forever, for anything you may ever want, Takumi." With Zen-like calm achieved through burning herself through the pain, she unhooked the back of her brassiere, freeing her large, full breasts, still perky despite their size. Takumi, who had just looked back at her, averted his gaze again, babbling to himself, with crimson cheeks.

  
"Takumi," Mai said very softly. "You ... you do desire me, don't you?"

  
He sobbed a little, wishing to die then and there. "Yes. I told you, yes!" He grew even more frustrated, balling his fists on his knees. "Don't keep me torturing with that, please! I already know I'm awful, and I have a dirty mind, and that's why God is punishing me!"

  
She knelt at his side, weeping herself and caressing one of his cold cheeks. He tried to look the other way, but she gently grabbed his chin, making his eyes rest on hers. "No. I'd never want to torture you, Takumi. You're the one I love the most in the world, and that won't change, ever, no matter how you may think of me. It doesn't matter if you hate me, or ignore me, or you love me in any way, but I'll keep loving you regardless. And God isn't punishing you for this. Sometimes ... these things just happen. I stopped trying to figure out why long ago, but I just know it can't be because they're trying to punish someone as wonderful as you. Because, then ..." Her tone grew doubtful, embarrassed, "Th-then, I'd have been punished first. Because I actually have done bad things, Takumi. But this ... this won't be one of them."

  
And she kissed his mouth again, now deeper and slower, and Takumi's heart raced madly. Apparently, that fact came to her mind somehow, because just as soon as she'd begun, she pulled back, whispering, "If you want me that way, I'll gladly let you. But ... only if you are feeling --"

  
He hesitated before making his mind up. His emotions were talking for him. He knew his remaining time was short, and he had never accomplished any of his dreams. He already was receiving divine punishment, so what difference could this make? He only hoped God could forgive Mai, for what he was forcing her to do.

  
This time, his lips were the ones planting themselves on hers.

  
She closed her eyes and kissed her dear little brother, pulling him out of the tub with herself, as his shaky hands went for her panties and tugged them down. He had only the faintest idea of what to do from there; nothing but bits and pieces taken from conversations with older boys, often in hospitals, and some common sense telling him of the most logical way a boy's organs could fit in with a girl's. But apparently, his beloved Oneechan was indeed more experienced than he would have ever thought, because, after kicking the panties away, she guided him over her body, and took a hold of his rigid member, and pulled it inside of her thing.

  
Takumi panted as he entered her, and for several moments she was deadly afraid that this was killing him. Yet, as he regained control over his breathing, and began sloppily pumping into her, placing his hands on her breasts, he actually acted a lot like the other boys she'd been with in the past. Mai was not a nymphomaniac, but a girl forced to mature before her time, with tons of concerns in her mind and a sensual body; she'd had both the atention of several boys in her prior schools and the need to release tension somehow before it killed her. She wasn't proud of her slips, but she still thanked the experience in silence, since otherwise this act would have been even more awkward. She found herself thinking that she could have sucked him off and been done with it (for now, at least), but since it had looked he really wanted intercourse instead, she couldn't let him down.

  
So there she was now, on her back on the bath's floor, her head's top touching the toilet, as her little brother fucked her, screaming her name. Not 'Oneechan!', no. Those were harsh, urgent cries of "MAI! MAI! MAI!"

  
He was even clumsier than the boys she had been with in the past, though. She would have corrected him under other circumstances, but no way she was going to ruin his moment by telling him he was an inadequate lover. Maybe she could shape him correctly, before ...

  
To take her mind away from the horrible concept, she took a finger to the clitoris as Takumi pumped, and caressed herself as he began trembling in building climax.

  
"Ma-- Oneechan! I, I think I'm going, going to, I think I have to --"

  
She pushed his hips further against hers. Tears streaming down her face, she begged. "No. Please, please. Do it inside. As much as you can. Takumi. Takumi!"

  
_Leave me something to remember you by_.

  
"Ah!" he yelled, and then twitched, and spilled his seed into his sister.

  
For a long moment, as long as time itself, they remained together, in silence, holding each other, as he coughed and she caressed his wet body.

  
"I love you," Mai said, ruffling his hair as he started weeping.

  
Then there was a loud gasp of horror coming from the bathroom's door, where Higurashi Akane had just appeared, still wearing her Maid cafe uniform, and holding a bag of snacks in one hand. The bag hit the floor, and the snacks rolled across the floor, one of them bopping against Mai's temple.

  
"Ouch," she blandly said.

  
Akane turned around and ran with a shrill cry.

  
She didn't cover three steps before her naked rooomate, after swiftly sliding from under Takumi without pushing him aside (yet another miraculous feat of Love!) caught to her, grabbing her by a wrist, tackling her to the couch, and then wrestling her into submission quickly, wet melons dangling above the terrified girl's face and sperm dripping from her cleft to Akane's stomach.

  
Takumi stood up on wobbly legs, covering his dripping shame with an available towel, which sadly happened to be Akane's. He had lost all trace of his voice, and was reduced to hiccuping helplessly.

  
"Akane-chan," Mai said, with a dangerous, rough edge in her voice that was completely alien to Akane, out of those times her father ... the mere comparison made the smaller girl whimper helplessly. "I'd like to think I've been a good roommate, and colleague at the job. I'd like to think we're good friends, and that there's nothing that we wouldn't do for each other. I'm willing to owe you anything for this. Really; all I want is a very simple and easy thing. I want to keep my little brother at my side. Otherwise, I swear to God I don't know what I'd do."

  
"Oneechan!" Takumi gasped.

  
Akane, after a moment of utter panic, nodded very quickly.

  
Mai sighed and pulled herself back, letting go of her friend's wrists. "Thank you," she said, lowering her gaze, and sounding really contrite. "I'm really sorry you had to see this."

  
"S-S-So am I," Akane gulped, tightening the neck of her shirt and puling away as well. "Ah, ah, j-just g-g-g-get dressed, okay? I, I'll cook dinner, yeah, that I'll do, and, and then, we can discuss this, this over dinner, and, and you can explain things ... if you want to ..."

  
"That'd be wonderful, yeah," Mai agreed quietly.

  
That night, Takumi began sleeping in Mai's bunk.

  
In the other bunk, Akane pretended not to hear anything, and silently prayed for the world to start making sense again.

 

* * *

  
"See you tonight, Takumi-kun. Call me if anything happens, okay?" Mai told him, after placing a quick peck on his lips, while Akane rose from the breakfast table and went to wash her dishes, all the while trying to avoid looking at them. She washed slowly, with a deep scowl on her face, until Mai's voice sounded from their front door, "Akane-chan! We're going to be late!"

  
"Coming," the other girl said (flinching at the double entendre) as she walked over to join her, giving Takumi a single goodbye nod on her way out. The boy smiled sheepishly at them before closing the door, and then Mai was trotting down the pathway with a profound sigh. Akane marched after her without saying a word.

  
So Mai forced the conversation, in a low and confidential tone. "You're still angry over what happened, aren't you?"

  
"It's not my place to be angry or not about it," Akane said, as flatly as she could.

  
"I'm sorry, Akane-chan. I really am. But it had to be this way, you'll see, because --"

  
"You don't need to explain anything, Mai-san. Really."

  
"Of course I do! Because you're still thinking I'm a creep, a pervert, and even though you may be kind of right, it isn't as simple as --"

  
"Shhhh," Akane hissed, right before a scooter passed right by them, with a maniacally grinning Hakase Satomi in a school uniform and goggles driving it, and a terrified Negi-sensei and Hasegawa Chisame-san clinging to her for dear lives.

  
"Good morning, Tokiha-san, Higurashi-saaaaaaaaaaan!" Negi managed to greet them before they became a speck further down the road.

  
"One of these days, they're going to kill someone," Mai decided, then resumed the conversational thread. "I know we couldn't explain ourselves that well yesterday, but he loves me, and I love him, and even if there are, ah, results to this, I'll accept them gladly, because really, it's not like I have anyone left to disappoint, and all that matters now is --"

  
"I said it's okay, Mai-san, really. You don't need to justify yourselves to me," Akane said patiently. "I'm all for living and letting live. I don't feel I have any right to judge you anyway. I ... I just hope you know what you're doing, that's all."

  
Mai doubted she felt as well as she tried to convey, but since her tone seemed to make clear she didn't want to keep talking about the subject, not to mention they were approaching a chattering group of 3-F students, she decided to just cut the discussion short right then and there.

* * *

  
It was yet another average day of classes.

* * *

  
"So, I'll see you tonight, then," Mai told Akane, who still had the same non-committal expression as she'd had  that morning, while they were going their separate ways near the Himeno Fumi statue. "Don't worry about dinner; I'll cook your favorites! If the Boss asks about Takumi --"

  
"I'll tell her you're doing just fine, both of you," she replied with an air of quiet resignation about her. "It's okay. I think she already got a temporary replacement for you, anyway. Just ... look, all I'm asking for is --"

  
"You won't find us doing anything when you get back, I swear." Mai placed a hand on her own heart.

  
Akane nodded only once. "That'd be nice. Well. Have a good afternoon, Mai-san."

  
"You too, Akane-chan. My regards to Kazuya-san."

  
She watched her friend -- if she could still call her that -- walk away, and then began rushing down the path, taking the shortcut between the miniature skating park and the children's playground with the Emperor Penguin slide. Oddly, both were completely empty at the moment. Well, after the incident near the end of the summer vacation, she supposed things were different everywhere. People seemed scared to be caught alone outside past a certain time, and there was a subtle air of uneasiness when wandering out near dusk. As a matter of fact, she was feeling it herself, even more than usual now, as a chilling breeze caressed her spine and fluttered her skirt.

  
Then she stopped, feeling as if she had just lost her way. It was very strange, since she knew this neighborhood well, but it seemed she had strayed from her usual path at some point, and now reached a dead end of sorts, her way blocked by several thick bushes and large boulders, in addition to a few tall trees with mostly dead branches that reached out like the bony claws of skeletal witches.

  
Mai turned around and didn't recognize the way she had taken to get here, either. The sky was getting darker very fast, with no moon or stars, only a bloated, shining crimson Mars hanging above her. The breeze grew stronger, and to boot, Mai began hearing a mysterious voice in her head. She had heard of things like this.

  
The voice was small and warm, either feminine or childlike. It was very cute, actually, which only added to the horror of having it inside of her mind. She could tell, somehow, she wasn't actually hearing it, not with her ears, certainly. Those only picked the rustling of leaves and the howl of the wind.

  
_You have walked into a Wraith's domain, Tokiha Mai-san. Be careful! The Wraith will try to devour you now. Only the Contract can save you._

  
"What ... w-who's there? Who said that?" she quickly spun around, readying her fists. "C-c-cut it out, whoever you are! This prank isn't funny!"

  
Two small red eyes appeared in the ever growing darkness, and the voice came closer in her thoughts. _The Wraith comes closer, Tokiha Mai-san. Make a Contract with me, now, and you may save your life and achieve your greatest dream. Any wish you have, anything your heart longs for, the force of the Contract can grant. But if you hesitate, you can lose the chance, and your very existence!_

  
"Who are you?" she said. "Come out and l-let me see you! I'm not afraid!"

  
_Good. That's, actually, very commendable. Courage is a need for a Magical Princess_ , the voice seemed pleased, and then a tiny white animal stepped out of the expanding shadows, revealing itself as the owner of the red eyes. _Satisfied to make your acquaintance, Tokiha Mai-san. I am your Incubator. Will you, at last, make a Contract with me?_

  
"A ... a cat?" she babbled. "Oh, oh, I get it, ventriloquism, right?"

  
The animal tilted its head to one side. _It would seem it arrived here earlier than calculated. Curious ..._

  
"What arrived?" Mai found herself asking, and then her answer came, shattering two trees and pushing them aside like broken toothpicks.

* * *

  
"This isn't happening! This isn't happening! This isn't happening!" Mai kept yelling as she ran deeper into the woods, since turning back towards the campus wasn't an actual choice, with a five-foot tall centipede-like monster with red eyes and multiple mouths chasing her. It was getting closer and closer at a truly rightening speed, with only its size delaying it in its mad run between the trees and bushes.

  
This stretch of woodland didn't even look like it belonged to Mahora, or even Japan for that matter. It looked like it had been pulled out from a child's nightmare, and strange creatures similar to owls made of paper mache moved in the branches, waving their wings that flapped like paper cutouts. Their chants were a cacophonic symphony, in contrast with the Wraith's silence. It all was maddening and disturbing, and the way the Incubator effortlessly hopped besides Mai, keeping up with her dash with only a comical skipping that reminded her of that cartoon skunk chasing after the cat, only added to the surreal, bizarre atmosphere.

  
"Someone help me!" Mai screamed. "Anyone! I can't die like this!"

  
_No one will come as long as you're still within the Wraith's domain, Mai-san_ , the Incubator said. _This is a closed sub-space generated by the Wraith, and you only will leave when you have killed it. You could do so if you just accepted my Contract..._

  
"What do I have to do?!" she despaired. "What do you want from me?! Why'd you sic that thing on me?!"

  
_I don't have the power to bring Wraiths to this world_ , the furry critter said, its tone still the same. _They come here on their own, attracted to you, the Princesses. You could learn more if you accepted the Contract_.

  
She took a look over her shoulder, nearly out of breath. She saw the monster was almost on her now. She jumped for a nearby boulder, thanking both her good PE grades and her adrenaline rush, but even that proved only a momentary relief as the thing began climbing after her with amazing dexterity, its multiple sharp jaws drooling. The paper nightmare owls began flying in circles over her.

  
"Fine!" Mai cried as soon as she reached the boulder's top, with nowhere to run and no quick way down but a long leap that might shatter her legs. "You win, damn it! I'll take that Contract! Just tell me what to do!"

  
_Welcome, Princess Mai_ , the Incubator said, and then Mai felt as if something was plucked out of her chest with great violence. For a moment, she saw it, a warm small sphere of orange light, floating before her eyes, before it reattached to herself, burying itself into her right breast, and leaving a tiny mark in the form of the astrological sign for Cancer on her skin. Then her clothes, in the span of a second, felt like burning on her body, but without scorching her, harmlessly changing into an orange jacket, short brown skirt, and a long, dark red scarf around her neck. However, what startled her the most was to see how a loose, metallic ring covered by flames that didn't harm her either appeared around each of her wrists. The monster and the owls looked startled as well, backing away with the attitude of wildlife scared by a hunter.

  
"This is ..." Mai whispered, frankly amazed.

  
_Your element is fire_ , the Incubator said. _Use it wisely if you wish to live. Picture it in your mind, obeying you. Imagine it doing what you want it to do. That is a Princess' royal command._

  
"Fire," Mai whispered again, thrusting her trembling hands ahead, towards the multi-legged beast. "FIRE!" she roared, and indeed, a powerful burst of orange flames jumped from her palms, hitting the Wraith, which made no sound even now, even as it fell on its back on the grass, shaking every leg violent in painful-looking throes. The owls were reduced to dust before the Wraith stopped moving, quickly degrading into black ashes, and then the whole woodland also seemed to change back, the trees' appearance returning to normalcy. Even the sky changed to what passed for normal lately, other than the bright red Mars.

  
She just remained still, with a wide open mouth. She looked at herself, mostly at the slowly spinning rings of fire, and mouthed a word without any sound.

  
_Congratulations! You have survived_ , the Incubator told her. _Now, what is your wish?_

  
Mai gave it a numb, perplexed look. "M-my wish?"

  
It nodded. _Don't you remember? I was telling you about it moments ago. You can wish for anything you want. That's a prerogative of Princesses._

  
"Oh, yeah," she quietly said. "That."

  
There was no question in her mind now.

  
"I wish for Takumi to be healthy and strong, for its illness to be over as of now. I wish for him to live without any fear of ever dying!"

  
The small being nodded at the firmness of her wish, with a strange glint in his eyes. _That is a very easy and convenient wish, Princess. It is done_ , it said, and then turned around as if to leave. _Thank you for your cooperation. I will be there, at your side, when you have further need of me._

  
"What? Wait, no!" she yelled. "I need you NOW! I need you to answer several questions! Why was I chosen for this? How can I be sure you aren't lying? Where do you come from, anyway? What, what's your real name, anyway? You surely can't be called just 'Incubator', can you?"

  
It didn't look back.

  
_That is not, actually, a need. Those are wishes you have, of further information, but you already formulated the sole wish I am obliged to grant. But I'll answer your queries all the same. You were chosen because you were born with the latent power of a Princess. You can be sure I'm not lying because we never lie, and I swear on that. I come from a place I can't describe with words from your language. And 'Incubator' is my actual designation ... but other Princesses have seen fit to call me 'Kyubey'. Good night, Tokiha Mai Hime-sama,_ it politely said, and then ran into the cloaking darkness.

  
Mai just stared at the place where it had been only a moment ago, and kept doing so as her clothes somehow returned to normal, her rings vanishing. Then she remembered Takumi.

  
It took her quite a while to climb down from the gigantic boulder safely.

* * *

  
"TAKUMI!" Mai slammed the door open as soon as she stormed into her home. "Sorry I'm late! I ran into a ...  a wild animal on my way here, and, and I --"

  
She was left speechless by what she saw.

  
Takumi was hopping around on one leg, arms outstretched, with an idiotically wide smile on his face, which disappeared just as soon as he saw his sister. Akane had been sitting right in front of him, watching him intently, and she turned around to look at Mai, as well.

  
"This isn't what it looks like," Akane somehow saw fit to say.

  
"Oneechan," the boy gulped nervously. "Ah, I'm sorry, but suddenly ... suddenly, I was feeling much better, like I hadn't felt in years! Akane-sempai tried to keep me down, yeah, I mean, well, the thing is, I just felt like I could jump! And I hadn't jumped for so long ... sorry, I'll go lie down now ..."

  
"Do you feel like lying down?" Mai asked.

  
Akane raised an eyebrow. "In which sense?" She had the distinct feeling that she was going to be ignored though.

  
After a moment of wide eyed doubt, Takumi shook his head.

  
Mai hugged him fiercely. "It worked! Oh my God, it really, really worked!"

  
"What ... what worked?" he asked, blinking in confusion, but she was too busy crying over him to hear him. Which wasn't that much of a new thing, actually.

  
"Mai-san, what --?" Akane began to ask, stopping herself when she realized Mai wouldn't pay her any more attention than she already had. So instead she sighed and stood up. "Never mind. When it looked like you were going to be late, I made dinner myself. Oh, and I'd better call everyone and tell them to stop looking for you already."

  
Mai grabbed Takumi's face, checking on his temperature and peeling his eyes well open, looking awkwardly close into his eyeballs, which for once weren't reddened. "Oh my God, you're fine. You're fine! It's a real miracle!"

  
"Oneechan, maybe, maybe it's just a temporary improvement," he reluctantly said. "I guess I'll need some tests, or --"

  
"Tests! Yes, that's it!" Mai gushed. "Tomorrow, we'll take you to get some new tests, and they'll work out wonderfully, and we'll be happy again, together!" Again, she pressed him against herself, laughing. "Oh, Takumi, I love you, I _really_ love you!"

  
With an unreadable expression, Higurashi Akane walked out of the room and discreetly closed the door behind herself.

  
She pulled a chair from the table, sat down, and slumped forward.

  
She really wanted to be glad for Mai. And in a way, she was. But not as much as she would have been two days ago.

  
She could hear them start kissing in their living room.

  
She shuddered.

* * *

 

  
Outside, on top of a tree, the Incubator sat, overlooking the building and waving its tail in circles.

  
_Not yet,_ it decided, its gaze fixed on the small window giving it a view of the seated, confused Akane. _Not yet._

* * *

  
That night, two stories above Mai's quarters, Arika Entheofushia slipped off of the couch silently and checked on the sleeping children and ermine. Once she was sure they wouldn't wake up anytime soon, she headed for the phone. She checked a number on the list Chisame had left for her and made the call.

  
As expected, it took her a while to be answered, but she was patient. The voice at the other end of the line was sleepy and tired. "Hmm, hello? Hasegawa Sora here. Who is it, at this time?" And there was a small yawn.

  
"It's me," Arika said, in a tone that demanded instant recognition. "I require a meeting with you as soon as possible. It is about Chisame. I demand to know exactly how much do you really know about her. And about your mother."

* * *

  
**NEXT** : Chisame.


	3. Period Two: Chisame

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

  _Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

 

 

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization and proofreading.

I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

  

 

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period Two: Chisame.**   

* * *

_Fifteen Years Ago:_

_  
_The tiny girl with glasses sat before her baby brother, drawing a pretty picture of their family for him. There was their mother, who was so angelic and beautiful, even in the girl's self-admitted cruddy and clumsy style. There was their mother's best friend, who was just as blond and pretty as her, and always came to visit in that huge, elegant car. There were the girl herself, Sora, and her dear little brother, who unlike her, had their mother's gorgeous golden hair. And there was ... Sora had started drawing Dad, but she had forgotten most of his face by now, so instead she had drawn Nagi-san in his place, because he was like their new Dad anyway, and he always was so funny and nice to them.

  
Once she thought it was done well enough to count as finished, she showed the crayon picture to the toddler sitting on the grass before her, in their house's front yard, under her favorite tree. "Here, Kodaka-kun! I-I know I'm not that good, but I think Mom will like it, right? I think I'll give it to Mom for her birthday. It's not much, but --"

  
Then the house's front door flew open, and out walked the gorgeous blonde best friend, wiping her wet eyes with a tissue that cost more than all of Sora's clothes put together, pausing for only a moment to look at the children, before walking away even faster towards her awesome car. (Awesome enough that its subconscious memory, always in the back of Sora's mind, was a major infuence on her future hobbies.) A moment later, out walked Nagi-san, and for the first time since Sora had met him, shortly after Dad left, he looked sad, defeated, even. He took a moment to caress Kodaka's scalp, then hug Sora tenderly, whispering a heartfelt, "I'm sorry, kiddo. So very sorry. Look ... just look after your Mommy and your little siblings for us, will you?"

  
"Ah?" Sora was precocious enough to know what 'siblings' meant, but she was sure that she had only one brother. Before she could ask Nagi-san about it, however, he was gone as well, leaving them alone with their mother, who'd stumbled out for the entrance, rubbing her reddened eyes even harder than her friend had been. Her firstborn looked up at her. "Mommy? What's happening with Nagi-san and --?"

  
"They won't be coming back, Sora-chan," her mother sadly said, even sadder than Nagi-san, with the air of a person who'd had the life blown out of her. "But, but it's okay. Because your Daddy ... your Daddy will be coming back, and soon you'll have a new brother or sister."

  
"Really?" Sora blinked. "But, but Mom! Why can't they all be here at the same time? Is it because the house isn't big enough?"

  
"Yes. In a way, that's exactly it," her mother sighed, kneeling down before them, as Kodaka drooled and began chewing on Sora's drawing. "But don't be sad, Sora-chan. You remember all those nice magic tricks Nagi made for you, right? Well, he managed to teach me at least one. Do ... do you want to see it?"

  
Sora's eyes lit up despite everything. "Oh! Oh, yes, Mommy! But why can't Nagi-san himself --"

  
"Shhhh. Now, Sora-chan, I want you to think of Nagi and your auntie Minako, and nothing else, until I'm done with this. Will you do that for Mommy?" With more sweetness and tenderness than was her norm, her mother placed her hands on Sora's temples, and began chanting very low and quietly under her breath. Her daughter only could make out the final few words, _"... and make these memories disappear, as if they never were."_

  
And them she couldn't even understand those, because she had completely forgotten the whole issue of the spell. And Auntie Minako and Nagi-san, for that matter. She felt rather tired, and she slumped forward into her mother's waiting arms, drifting into sweet unconsciousness as her mother wept bitterly.

  
After placing Sora in her bed, Hasegawa Airi yanked the drawing out of her son's hands, and then ripped it to shreds while screaming her long repressed anger.

 

* * *

_  
Now:_

_  
_Hasegawa Sora sat very quiet and silent on the couch of her living room, or to be more precise, the living room of the quarters she shared with her roommate. Her hands had tightened into white-knuckled fists placed squarely on her knees, and copious streams of tears had begun running down from her eyes, bathing her freckled cheeks.

  
Arika Anarchia Entheofushia pulled her hands back from Sora's temples. "From your reaction," she said, even but not without sympathy and warmth, "I suppose it has worked, after all. My apologies if I have caused you pain. I'm actually surprised -- in the event your memories actually had been altered, I would have thought not even Royal Magic could cancel a spell from Nagi --"

  
She sobbed, shaking her head. "Not Nagi-san. My ... it was my mother who ... who did it! Who erased my memories of him, and, and of Yuikihiro-san! Why? Why would she do such a thing?"

  
Firm but soft hands were placed on her shoulders. "If you have indeed regained all your memories, your answer should be self-evident. Nagi, your mother and Ayaka-san's mother could not sustain their affair any longer. Yukihiro-san couldn't break up her marriage, and Nagi had to return to Mundus Magicus. Obviously, he couldn't take any of you with him. It didn't work out. Sometimes, it happens. But we can spare your sister and my son from such a tragic --"

  
Sora gasped. "Oh my God! That's, that's right!" Her hands clawed at her knees as realization washed over her. "That, that means Chisame is, is, she's Negi-sensei's --!" She covered her mouth with both hands. "Oh dear Heavens, that's just horrible, it can't be, and they've even ... kissed!"

  
"It goes further than that," Arika added. "They have feelings of love for each other."

  
Sora gave her a disbelieving look. "What?"

  
"Is not that noticeable enough?" the strange woman they had rescued from Mundus Magicus asked the college student. "They would do anything for each other. Their ties are tighter than Negi's bonds with any other of his Ministra. And he has been the only one who could pull her out of her shell."

  
Sora's teeth clattered. "That, that's ridiculous! I mean, no disrespect, but they're still only children! Oh dear, but still, it must stopped, they must be told, in the event they, over time, actually did start to --"

  
"What would be so unspeakably hideous about them 'starting to'?" Arika asked, still completely composed.

  
Sora's stare grew even more bewildered, making her look nearly deranged. "H-H-Hime-sama, please! This isn't a moment or situation to joke about! Poor Chisame ... poor Kodaka and Kobato-chan, even! And, and of course, poor Negi-sensei!"

  
"If you are of their opinion their ties couldn't be romantic in nature, why do you seem so devastated about their relationship?" Arika asked.

  
"I don't know! I don't know anymore! I don't know anything!" Sora panicked, standing up and walking across the room with both hands on her head. "As usual, I'm useless to help my siblings! Knowing this will ruin Chisame's life, I'm sure, but if she doesn't learn --!"

  
"That would be unethical, as well," Arika said. "Every person has a right to know their true origins, even if they happen to be painful."

  
"But my sister can't take pain!" Sora shrieked, pacing around madly. Arika began to consider slapping her to end her hysterics. "That will destroy all the progress she's achieved! She'll become a hikikomori with an eternal frown while all her friends become successful career women, and I'll have failed her, and Kodaka will become a delinquent for real, and Kobato-chan will start cutting herself, and I can't deal with any of this!"

  
"I may start slapping you directly," Arika gave fair warning.

  
The serious even if understated threat of physical pain seemed to tame Sora's outburst to some degree. She stopped near the window, staring outside, at the twilight sun. "What am I supposed to do? I can't change the past!"

  
"Of course you cannot. No one can."

  
Sora began banging her own head against the window. "Thank you, Princess Obvious! That's such a great help!"

  
"See? Your own pain is honing you as a woman. This is the first time you've dared to talk back to me. So too will Chisame become a stronger woman through her own trials and tribulations."

  
Sora muttered something unusually deep and bitter before exploding, "But I don't want her to have trials and tribulations! I only want for her to be happy! You, you should be just as worried about Negi-sensei!"

  
"I am. But I know that he will, after some theatrics and despair overcome it after I tell him. Because he is a born and bred fighter, and so is Chisame, actually. You have done a better job at raising her than you are willing to admit."

  
Sora sniffled, still not looking back at her. "Thank you. Are my eyes too red? Because that's Mishima-sempai heading here, and I think, I think we'll have to continue this conversation later."

  
Arika looked over Sora's shoulder, first at her eyes. "Yes, they are." She glanced then at the small pathway leading to the house, and the elegant, fair skinned beauty with glamorous clothes and jewelry and long silky black hair striding towards the door with a regal air around her. "Is that your housemate?"

  
Sora nodded as she adjusted her glasses. "Y-Yeah. Just, just just act natural, o-okay? I'll, I'll handle the introductions."

  
"Oh, I will try," Arika said with so much aplomb Sora was sure she had to be mocking her disturbed behavior. But there was no further time to dwell on that, as the door flew open.

  
"W-W-Welcome, Sayoko-sempai!" Sora bowed. "Um, sorry to bring in guests without consulting you first, but this here is, is Chisame's homeroom teacher's mother!"

  
"Arika Springfield. My pleasure." The blonde bowed formally.

  
"Ah, ah yes, and this, this is Mishima Sayoko-sempai, my, my roommate as long as I'm here, and she's been always ... helpful to me, and --"

  
As Sora kept on stuttering, Mishima Sayoko answered the unexpected visitor's bow with a quick one of her own, looked as if she was about to say something to her, and then settled for glancing at Sora instead, and asking her a disinterested, "Have you been crying?"

  
_As if my afternoon hasn't been bad enough until this point_ , Sora decided.

 

* * *

  
_Next Afternoon, Late in the Day:_

  
"Toshiyuki? It's me, Sayoko. I wanted to know if you were --" Mishima Sayoko, stunning as ever in a practical yet feminine suit and Gucci shoes, sat at the center of the bar, with several male gazes fixed on her as usual; also as usual, she ignored them. Instead, her mouth curved down as she heard the all-but laughing reply from the other end of her cellphone call. "Oh. Yes, of course you would. Me? Oh, no, you know how it is. It's not like I can't, don't be ridiculous, it's just this place doesn't offer too many worthwhile options. Oh, you're such a jerk!" she scoffed.

  
He broke into a full laugh now. "Oh, come on, Sayoko! Be honest for once, will you? What was it this time? Morisato, right? Once again, he chose to spend his night at that filthy workshop rather than taking your hints. Yeah, I'd bet that's it. Honestly, dear, whatever happened to aiming high?"

  
"Let's talk again when you have bedded that bitch Belldandy, okay?!" she screeched before killing the call, and huffed as she saw several of her silent admirers looking aside, their expressions turning to disgust. The idiots.

  
It had been that way ever since that cold gray morning, five months ago, when Sayoko had, as she always did, strode majestically through the college area, calmly enjoying the admiration from her peers and ... well, actually, it wasn't like she had peers, it was just a benevolent term she used to refer to those who happened to study with her, or in the semesters under her. Sometimes, just because she was nice enough to do so, she would look back at them, with the calculated smile and seductive eyes of a movie star, and she would attempt to scout for someone who might be worth her time, at least for a few good escapades. Day after day, no one would meet her requirements, which grew frustrating quickly. But at the very least, they were good obedient sheep, and no one would ever deny her a favor, a vote, anything. She was the Campus Queen, with a degree of devotion from her subjects even the likes of Fujino Shizuru in the junior levels would have found stunning. They were just children, after all.

  
But that morning, that good old constant changed when she first laid her eyes on her. And worse, so did everyone else.

  
The intruder came along with a boy Sayoko took a while to remember as Morisato Keiichi, some penniless loser she had quickly turned down the year before, without a second thought. At first, everyone, Sayoko included, believed the young woman with him had to be some sort of distant relative, because it was impossible to believe such a refined, exotic European beauty could be directly related to the short, unremarkable, scrawny Morisato. Thinking she could be his friend or girlfriend would have been even more outrageous.

  
The girl did have something in common with Morisato, though; her annoying doormat attitude, her exaggerated niceness, her exasperating helpfulness that obviously  had to be just part of a sheepish facade to steal the campus away from Sayoko. (Obviously! Yet it was staggering how many men missed that evident detail, Aoshima Toshiyuki included!) The worst part was, so far, it was working. That morning, for the first time, Sayoko had felt the male gazes drifting, unanimously, from her towards that meekly talking, slowly walking foreigner, who, to boot, had the gall to act as if she wasn't aware of them. Who did she think she was fooling? Even Morisato, that witless pawn, was noticing it!

  
Sayoko wouldn't surrender her premier position without a fight, however. She had tried everything in her arsenal of wiles and called-in favors to discredit Belldandy, and when that failed, she tried to hit her where it would hurt, by stealing Morisato away from her. She had figured that would be easy, given the boy's former crush on her, but much to her shock, he hadn't responded the same way to her anymore. It still was a work in progress, of course, but so far, nothing had worked when it came to seducing that idiot. He was loyal to a fault, Sayoko had to give him that. If only she could somehow get herself a man with that degree of faithfulness! The elites, nice as they were, had that annoying decadent habit of being so ... unfocused. Every time she had tried hooking up with a man of her own social level, he'd ended up betraying her (HER!) with some bimbo or another. Their loss! One day, she would get herself the perfect man she deserved.

A man not even Belldandy could take from her.

  
Lazily, Sayoko looked at her glass of liquor, moving it in slow circles. "Another," she grunted for the waiter as he passed nearby, and that quickly got her a refill.

  
Sayoko drank, closed her eyes, and thought once again of Morisato, that frustrating twerp. Morisato was in the same Motor Club as Sayoko's slow-witted roommate Sora, and through swift manipulation of the insecure Hasegawa, Sayoko had gathered some important information on Morisato and Belldandy. Apparently, Belldandy's younger sister studied under the same teacher as Sora's, and their older sister, that skank with no class who had dared to ridicule Sayoko in that year's Mahorafest Beauty Contest, had moved into an apartment of the new Lexcorp Tower. Those were expensive apartments, and to pay for one, those three bitches had to have some heavy financial backup. The thing was, none of Sayoko's elite contacts, or any of her father's associates, knew anything on their family. That was very odd. Maybe their family was involved in illegal businesses, and if Sayoko could expose that ...

  
She chuckled dumbly to herself, letting out a soft hiccup and gesturing to the waiter for another refill.

  
Then she wondered when could she go back home. Not like she cared about Sora's reunion with her stupid kid sister, which they had thrown at her quite rudely, only yesterday. And it certainly wasn't like she cared, either, about that Springfield woman who had dared to request that Sayoko eave the sisters alone that evening. Who did she think she was, anyway, to make those kind of demands to Sayoko? It was HER home, and she didn't even know HER!

  
And yet, there was something so strangely imperative and commanding in that woman's soft and polite tone, and so Sayoko was here now, out in town, drinking her sorrows down instead of relaxing at home and ... well, not enjoying Hasegawa's company, exactly, but ...

  
"Ah, what the hell," she mumbled, pouring herself another glass. Drinking alone was no fun. Stupid Aoshima, rejecting her company just to screw one of his boytoys from his Polo Club. Again. Who did he think he was, even if he was her cousin? He wasn't even that good a fuck.

  
"Is this seat taken?" a voice asked from the other end of the table. Sayoko looked at the woman who had appeared before her, a dark skinned bombshell in short, tight black leather, with white hair that, while far spikier and messier than that of Belldandy's older sister, still struck enough of a resemblance to make Sayoko instantly dislike her. But, once again, drinking alone was a bore.

  
"Nope," Sayoko grunted, and the other woman sat down without a second thought.

  
"I'll take the same poison she's drinking," the stranger told the waiter before pulling a cigarette out and beginning to smoke it. "How do you do? Mishima Sayoko, right?"

  
"Who wants to know?" Sayoko slurred angrily.

  
"Tch. Bizen Sayoko, an employee of your father's Mahora branch. At least 'til this morning. Got myself into an ugly bind with a bitch working for the Vice Prez of Public Relations."

  
"How so?" an uniterested Mishima muttered.

  
"I made Public their Relations."

  
"And that concerns me, because?"

  
The woman leaned ahead, and whispered into Mishima's ear, "They are leaking confidential info to Naba Tetsuo."

  
Mishima's eyes widened.

* * *

"Okay. What is so important that you had to call me here to discuss it face to face?" asked Hasegawa Chisame patiently -- well, as patiently as she ever got -- as sat before her older sister in the latter's living room. Sora's wide array of strange quirks included a serious lack of self-reliance, and it was fairly common for her to call on Chisame and Kodaka for help whenever the burdens proved too much of a weight for her. Those problems were often small and relatively trivial, but Sora tended to blow them out of proportion. Normally, she went to Kodaka, though. The stern faces Chisame made in situations like this, just like the one she had on now, usually were enough to discourage the eldest Hasegawa sibling from bothering her.

  
Clearly having second thoughts, Sora's fingers tapped nonstop on the sides of her cup of tea. "It's ... it's very hard to explain, actually. Um ... maybe, maybe we should talk about this some other day ..."

  
"Hell no!" Chisame barked. "You didn't make me walk clear across campus just to send me back now! Come on, you should be more open than this by now, after all we've gone through lately!"

  
Sora whimpered weakly, her eyes still fixed on her cooling untouched tea. "B-But I'm sure you won't like it ..."

  
"You're pregnant?"

  
"Wha-- NOOOOOO!"

  
"You've been diagnosed with a terminal illness?"

  
"Chisame! NO!"

  
"Okay, it can't be an omen of doomsday either, or you'd have called for an Ala Alba meeting. So now all the big deals have been discarded, and you've noticed, no doubt, that whatever is troubling you can't be so bad. So tell me so we can finish this quickly, for your own sake, right?"

  
Sora sniffled. "You, you have no idea what are you talking about. If you only knew, you wouldn't be treating it so lightly."

  
"Fine, so tell me already!" Chisame grew impatient. More impatient. "Stop dancing around the subject, if it's really that important!"

  
Sora sighed with an unfathomable air of suffering, then asked, "Chisame, you going to have to be strong. Yes, I know you're strong, far stronger than me, but this, this will affect you even more closely than me. Arika-sama and I have discussed it, though, and we've decided you and Negi need to know --"

  
Chisame blinked. "Arika-sama? Oh, is this about ... Negi's ... ahhhhh ..."

  
"Huh?" Sora babbled, "Oh, oh, you mean how ... he's growing." Now she thought about it, Arika-sama had mentioned something about that, too, but Sora hadn't paid it too much attention, obsessed as she was with Chisame's suffering. "Actually, no, Chisame. But it's about him, as well."

  
She didn't realize she had fallen silent for so long until she heard Chisame tapping a foot and saying, "I'm waiting!"

  
Sora swallowed the suffocating knot in her throat. "Chisame, are you aware our parents had a period, after Kodaka's birth, when they separated?"

  
"Right. I was conceived when they reconciled, I know. So?"

  
Her sister shook her head reluctantly, sniffling again. "N-no. You had already been conceived by the time Father came back."

  
Chisame's jaw loosened, and her face went pale. That was before she actually understood what she had just been told, and then her jaw further loosened, and her face grew even paler.

  
"I-I-I think it was very classy of Father, and shows how much he cared for Mother after all," Sora strayed off her topic nervously, her voice barely understandable in tone and delivery. "It makes me see him in a new light, because all things considered, he's actually been a good father, hasn't he, Chisa--"

  
Her sister grabbed her by the lapels of her jacket and shouted into her face. "WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TRYING TO SAY?! What the hell is this nonsense?! Talk clearly for once, damn you!"

  
Sora closed her eyes and sobbed pathetically. "Forgive your worthless sister, please! I had forgotten all about it until yesterday! Kodaka-kun and Kobato-chan don't know either! And, and I'm sure Father never told you only to protect you, and because he loves you, and --!"

  
Chisame began shaking her, with a surprising amount of strength. "Are you trying to tell me I'm another man's child? Is that it? Damn it, Sora! Don't treat me like a fucking idiot! Just say 'yes' or 'no'!"

  
"... yes."

  
Chisame let go of her immediately, recoiling and opening her eyes as wide as they could go. After a few moments of trying to find her voice, the younger girl managed to crack a dry, choked, "Th-Then who --?"

  
Sora took her glasses off, buried her eyes on a tissue, and whined the two words out in a barely audible tone. "Nagi Springfield."

  
Chisame backed even further away from her. "No. No no no! No! No, it can't be, it's just too ridiculous a coincidence!"

  
"Back then ... back then, Nagi-sama was, apparently, doing odd jobs for the Headmaster, visiting him frequently. From what I gather, it was ... around the time he dropped Evangeline-sama here." Sora chewed on her tear stained tissue, avoiding eye contact with Chisame. "He, Mother and Yukihiro-san's mother, who was having a marriage crisis of her own, grew very close ... They were all but living t-together, as a matter of fact ... I don't know for sure, but maybe Yukihiro-san is also --"

  
"I'm telling you it can't be!" Chisame roared. "That's absurd! I can't, I can't be Negi's sister! We, we don't even look alike, and we're so different, and, and --!"

  
"You love him," Sora whispered, in a crushed, despairing way.

  
Chisame gave her a look of pure horror. "What? What, what, what. No, n-no, of course not! That's, that's even dumber, he's still only a kid, and a brat, and, and he's my brother, no, he isn't, but still, I couldn't possibly, and he'll probably just end up with Murakami anyway, or even Kakizaki, and --!"

  
Sora gave her a tearful glare in return. "Are ... are you being honest about this? Because, because then there'd be no problems. We can adjust, be a somewhat normal family, since you only think of him like a brother anyway." She sounded hopeful for the first time in two days, hopeful her instincts had failed her again, that she had, once more, misread Chisame. She swallowed and continued. "We can, if you want, run some blood tests, maybe with Satomi-san, and see if you're truly related after all, and if you're not, no loss, and if you are, well, that's great, because now we have another brother, and Kodaka-kun and Kobato-chan wouldn't mind, I'm sure, and  --"

  
It was that light of hope and promise in her sister's gentle, nervous voice that actually broke Chisame. Before either of them realized what was happening, Chisame's right hand had slapped Sora across the face, and then the younger girl had turned around, running for the door.

  
After a single moment of shock and holding her struck cheek, Sora got up clumsily and raced after her. "Chisame! Wait!"

  
She stumbled on the doorstep and made a pratfall on the floor, face first, allowing Chisame a wide lead. Going much faster than she could have at the start of the year, Chisame ran like wind, screaming incoherently, tossing something aside and almost running over the incoming Mishima and her dark skinned new friend as she left the college female residence behind.

  
"Wha -- HEY!" Mishima, inebriated and indignant, shook a fist at the quickly retreating girl, supporting herself on the dark skinned woman. "Look wh're yuh goin', yuh, yuh ... Hasegawa!"

  
A moment later, Sora, livid and pale, stopped next to them, babbling Chisame's name over and over to herself.

  
"Hey, Hasegawa-kun," Mishima slurred. "What's possessed yer sishster anyway? Dis here is my new pal Bizen Sayoko, ain't it a hoot, how we have th' shame name, anyway, I'll be hidin' her f'r a while, so --"

  
Sora's trembling hands had picked up the thing Chisame had tossed. She held it close to her face, crying copiously. "Chisame-chan!"

  
Mishima, frowning, took a peek over Sora's shoulder, at the weird card that showed Sora's sister wearing a fancy pink dress and striking a happy and peppy pose. "HEY! Don't ignore me over dat dumb thing! I'm tellin' you, I'm goin' to --"

  
Absently, with a fierce growl, Sora punched her in the face. Sayoko fell, with a final hiccup, unconscious into the other Sayoko's arms.

  
The dark skinned woman smiled. "I think I'm going to like you, kid."

  
Ignoring her, Sora had fallen to her knees as she cried.

  
And the gray sky began crying with her.

 

* * *

 

"What's taking Chisame so long?" Satomi asked over dinner, looking at the clock on their wall.

  
"Sora-neesan called her before you arrived, and said she had something very important to tell her," Negi answered, looking oddly distant for some reason. "So they are having a talk over at her place."

  
"Oh. So Sora-san needs emotional support once more?" Satomi said before taking another mouthful of Arika's western-styled meal.

  
"Most likely," Chamo said, taking a sip from his tiny cup of sake. "Ah, poor, poor Nee-chan. Do you know what I think she needs?"

  
"I can well imagine it," Arika said coldly. "But no, actually, that was something they really did have to discuss in private. And as a matter of fact, we should be discussing it as well. Hakase-san, you are Chisame's best friend, and Chamomile, you ... will doubtless learn it sooner or later either way, so there is no point in delaying that development."

  
Negi, Chamo and Hakase all perked up in mild alarm. "What do you mean, Mother?" the boy mage asked.

  
"Thinking back on it," Arika mused aloud, "I should perhaps have told you this two nights ago, but ... I was sure you had been told more than enough for a single night, and I didn't wish to overwhelm you. But I still regret that omission. I feel that, to some degree, I have kept things from you longer than needed, perhaps out of fear of your reaction. In that regard, I am probably acting just like Konoemon or Eishun."

  
Chamo blinked. "Huh? What did you told him two nights ago?"

  
Negi grew red and began heating up under his collar.

  
"Several things, none of them requiring further discussion for the time being," Arika replied easily. "For now, I consider it more important for all three of you -- especially you, Negi -- to learn a vital piece of information involving you and Chisame."

  
"Ah? I don't understand," Negi confessed.

  
"To place this in context, I should inform you your father and I met many of the parents of Class 3-A's students, at several different points of time. This is no coincidence, at least not in most cases; even leaving the obvious issue of Konoka-san and Eishun, Konoemon has seen fit to keep watch over several daughters of important people, generally for good reason," his mother told him.

  
Satomi nodded. "Of course. Tatsumiya-san, Asuna-san, Evangeline, Konoka-san, Rainyday-san ... even by Mahora standards, our class has a much higher than usual percentage of paranormals and metahumans."

  
And Arika nodded. "Indeed. And I am convinced the force of Destiny itself pulled Negi here, to be with you. Under these circumstances, I ask you to consider this information, not as a tragic turn of the Hand of Fate, but as a blessed opportunity disguised beneath an appearance some might find ... inconvenient."

  
"Mother, you're scaring me!" gasped the boy who had looked death in the eye several times without flinching.

  
"Don't be afraid," the woman told him sternly. "You are made of far sturdier material than most men thrice your age. In some ways, you are braver than your father, who often simply didn't understand or notice danger, or was overly confident in his abilities."

  
"Ahhhh," the ermine said, a bit shyly, "far be it from me to pressure you into rushing matters, Hime-sama, but I think these preludes are only making Aniki here even more uncomfortable and nervous."

  
Arika gave the animal a mildly disdainful look. "Do you truly think so?"

  
"Of course I do! I know him better than anyone but Nekane-neechan! Um, no offense, maybe I could have phrased that better."

  
"Chamo!" Negi sighed.

  
"Yes. Yes, you could," Arika flatly replied. "Very well. There is, in any case, some truth to the notion that harsh sounding truths are easier to assimilate when supplied in a quick and direct way. Negi, your father was sexually involved with the mother of Chisame and Sora-san, so Chisame is, as a matter of fact, your older sister."

  
Silence fell on the table like a Ten-Ton weight, and for several moments, there was no motion at all in the dinning room, other than Satomi's braids standing straight up at right angles to her neck.

  
"What," Chamo said at last. It was no question or query, but a simple, automatic sound his mind had just released while working to rework its synapses.

  
Completely ignoring him, Arika calmly cradled her son against herself, and softly told him, "Being brave doesn't mean you cannot express grief or sorrow. So, while I trust you to come to terms with this eventually, right now, you can cry as much as your heart desires."

  
So he did.

  
Satomi quietly set her plate aside. "I ... I believe my appetite has just been spoiled."

 

* * *

 

Evangeline A.K. Mc Dowell, the Terror that Walks in the Form of a Child, the golden haired Queen of the Night, the eternal Daywalker, rested on her right side in the games room of her cabin in the woods, wearing only a lacy negligee and panties -- which left her overdressed for her usual gaming night. Completely oblivious to the storm now raging outside, she was completely engrossed in her latest session of _Mortal Kombat Retribution_.

  
Karakuri Chachamaru, a gentle looking beauty with long light green hair, claid in a French maid outfit, swept the living room in dutiful silence, until her audio sensors caught on the sounds of feet dragging through the wet grass, coming closer to the cottage. Without a second thought, Chachamaru set her broom aside and readied her basic defense systems. While attacks on the cabin were a so far unprecedented occurrence, it was illogical for any of their allies and friends to approach during the heavy rainstorm without calling first.

  
As the gynoid moved closer to the door, however, her scanners picked up the well known bio patterns of her classmate Hasegawa Chisame -- though her heartbeat was dangerously faster, and her breathing worryingly more erratic, than normal. There was no one else with her. Instantly dropping her defense protocols, Chachamaru all but flew for the door and tossed it open, just as a sopping wet Chisame, with red eyes and a ponytail as disarranged as the skewed glasses on her face, stumbled to fall on her knees and hands before the robot's feet. "Hasegawa-san! What has happened?"

  
Chisame sobbed angrily for a moment, inhaled deeply, and lowered her face before uttering, "Call Evangeline. Tell her I want her to suck me dry. She won't need Negi anymore."

  
The gynoid helped the trembling, evidently unstable girl back to her feet. Chisame wasn't cooperating, actually, but with Chachamaru's strength, that wasn't any problem on itself, and she was lifted as easily as a kitten. Chachamaru found she would have to keep supporting her weight, however, since Chisame looked like she wouldn't even try to stand on her own anymore, making a long string of pitiful snorting and wheezing sounds that sounded like stubborn attempts to keep further crying at bay. "Hasegawa-san, are you hallucinating?" Chachamaru touched their foreheads together, reading her body temperature and finding it still adequate. "You don't seem to be sick, but --"

  
"The world is sick!" Chisame yelled, closing her eyes. "And I'm tired of it all! I can't take it anymore! I don't have to! Where's Evangeline? I have what she needs right here! Let's finish this now!"

  
"Hasegawa-san, you aren't acting rationally. Did something happen to Negi-sensei? To Mother? One of your siblings?" Chachamaru tried to held her steady but gently. "We can't help you if we don't know --"

  
"Nobody can help me!" Chisame yelled some more. "I'm beyond any help! The only thing you can do for me is ... is killing me already! Evangeline! Evangeline! Come here, you bloodsucking freak of nature!"

  
Chachamaru hissed urgently to try and silence her. "Please, Hasegawa-san! You shouldn't offend Master! What's gotten into you?"

  
"A damn good question, that." Evangeline appeared on the doorstep between the rooms, scowling as much as she could, which, in her ten year old looking slim body, only made her look cute rather than fearsome. Her voice, however, was another matter entirely. "If you want to tempting death tonight, Hasegawa, you are certainly off to a good start. Explain yourself, now!"

  
Chisame bared her neck. "My blood! Take it all!"

  
Evangeline scoffed dryly, while Chachamaru looked genuinely confused. "Playing cheap pranks has never been one of your many flaws, so I assume you have just lost your mind," the vampire witch said. "It had to happen someday, I knew, but I still thought you'd last somewhat longer. Well, it's like I always say, you never can understimate a teenager."

  
Chisame sputtered something completely nonsensical and heartfelt as she slumped her head down in defeat. Finally, she managed to softly utter, "That's right. Mock me. Taunt me. I deserve it. I can't feel it anymore, anyway. Just ... just suck all my blood after you're done. That's all I'm asking."

  
Chachamaru pleaded, "Please, Master, be considerate with her. She's clearly in great distress."

  
"Seriously? Why, thank you for pointing it out, Chachamaru. I don't know what would I ever do without your stunning talent to state the obvious for my benefit," Mc Dowell said, before Chachamaru's respectful but still blunt as hell stare somehow moved her to reluctantly continue. "Oh, you and your mania for picking up sick strays. I have to talk with Hakase about that ... and other things. Strip that pitiful woman and get her into a hot bath before she catches her death of cold. Maybe she'll explain herself properly after that."

  
"Thank you, Master." Chachamaru bowed her head as Evangeline walked away, and then she helped the almost lifeless Chisame to the bathroom with herself, settling her against a wall before filling the wide tub and heating it up. Chisame slumped down to the floor on her butt, sobbing weakly, and a concerned Chachamaru moved next to her, speaking very kindly as she took the human's wet clothes off, surprisingly not finding any resistence. "Why are you doing this? Hasegawa-san, if you don't answer, I'll have to call Negi-sensei and ask him myself."

  
"No!" Chisame gasped. "Anything but that! I-I don't want to look at him anymore!"

  
"Did you two fight? I'm sure you can talk it over, as happened on Iinchou-san's island."

  
Chisame shook her head. "No ... it's nothing like that. It's ... it's much, much worse," she muttered as her brassiere was lifted off her body, and the air felt very cold on her bare medium sized breasts. "I don't want to talk about it, least of all with Negi ..."

  
"It can't be that you have done anything to hurt him," Chachamaru observed quietly as she used Chisame's sloppy sitting posture to slip the panties down her hips and legs. _"... have you?"_ she added, in a tone that had suddenly gained a hint of a dangerous edge.

  
It would have been easy to lie and let Chachamaru to pummel her to the results Chisame desired, but she still clung to her particular sense of honesty. "No, it's not that either. At least, not deliberately."

  
Chachamaru made a sound that almost was a sigh, standing back up. "Very well," she said, starting to undress herself. "I will trust you, as you have always had Sensei's best interests in mind, even back when I was your enemy. If you say you haven't done anything malicious against him, I will believe you. However, you seem to be under the impression you will hurt him regardless."

  
Chisame could only nod.

  
A fully nude Chachamaru stood before her then. It was amazing, even now, to see how realistic her artificial body was now, Chisame found herself thinking fleetingly. Despite anything else that could be said about her, Hakase was a genuine genius at engineering realistic simulated life. And beyond that. Chachamaru was, for all obvious intents and purposes, a functional human being, with only her long metal ears and small joint fissures on her shoulders remaining as reminders of her robotic nature. Even her crotch was anatomically correct now, and her breasts were adorned with nipples that looked as lifelike as Chisame's.

  
Chachamaru interrupted that view by turning Chisame around and starting to wash her back and unbound hair. She massaged the extra tense muscles with gentle and caring fingers, and Chisame felt, despite her own wishes, marginally better now. "I won't allow you to suffer, because your suffering will also cause Negi-sensei grief," the gynoid told her. "But also, because I genuinely worry about you as well. You have done too much for my Mother, and you have shown me you are courageous and driven. This isn't like you, Hasegawa-san. What could possibly have done this to you? I'll help you with it, no matter what it is."

  
"I told you, you can't help me," Chisame said sadly. "No one can."

  
"As long as there is life, there are things we can do," Chachamaru disagreed, finishing washing her off and carrying her bridal style into the tub, gently setting her sitting into it and then sitting right behind her, holding the human maternally. "Remember, things have looked bleak and hopeless before, and we still trumphed. This will be no different."

  
"You ... you are a really nice, sweet girl." Chisame rubbed her own eyes with a hand. "You're a much better person ... a much better human being ... than me. Please make Negi happy, will you?"

  
"I can't make him happy if you aren't happy," Chachamaru observed quietly. "For better or worse, his happiness depends on yours. You are the most special of us to him."

  
"D-Don't say that!" Chisame almost jumped out of the water. "That can't be! It'd be insane!"

  
"Now that's more like the emotionally stunted Hasegawa Chisame I know." Evangeline lazily walked, bare naked, into the bathroom, setting herself in the tub facing Chisame, without bothering to wash herself first. Foreigners. "So, are you coherent enough to explain why should I bother to drink your paltry blood and break my code of honor of not harming those beneath my level?"

  
"It's because my blood isn't paltry or weak," Chisame said, sounding darkly annoyed now. "You have said you need to drink the blood of Nagi Springfield's child to break your curse, right? Well ... I AM A CHILD OF NAGI SPRINGFIELD, TOO! So drink all my blood and fly free! Spread your darkness all around the world! For all I care! Make everyone suffer like I suffer! Um ... other than Negi, Hakase, my siblings, and Satsuki-san, okay? That's all I'm asking for in exchange, really."

  
On opposite sides of Chisame, Evangeline and Chachamaru had frozen still, with bugged out eyes.

  
"Repeat that," Evangeline commanded when she recovered after a moment. "Better yet, expand on it, explain it, before I --"

  
"Nagi Springfield cuckolded the man I thought to be my father with my mother, and I was born! So I'm Negi's older sister!" Chisame cried. "I know that will make you mad, so take it out on me! Come on, just do me already!"

  
Much to Chisame's puzzlement, after some moments where Evangeline really looked demonic and about to jump for her throat, the petite blonde rested back, with her brow curved in quite an ugly way, and a hand over her own mouth in troubled concentration. "... well," she said at last. "This would certainly explain a few things."

  
"Master?" asked Chachamaru, still not letting Chisame go.

  
Evangeline hissed furiously to herself. "That perverted heel. So that's why he was around the Mahora area so much back then ... and to think, he had the gall to flirt with me back then, around the same time, too!"

  
Chisame blinked. "Um, from all we've seen of your past, I was under the impression he didn't pay you any att--"

  
"SILENCE!" bellowed Eva, who was big on Believing What You Choose to Believe. She stomped a foot against the bottom of the tub. "Oh, when I get my hands on that filthy man's neck, how I will twist, yes! That dirty Casanova! That no-good Don Juan! That cheap Romeo!"

  
"Sounds good. Why don't you start by killing his daughter, so you can get back in shape to kill him?" Chisame suggested. "And hurt him in the process."

  
Eva sneered. "As if. I doubt you'd mean anything to him, seeing how he never attempted to reach out to you."

  
"Master, that was a very cruel comment," Chachamaru chided.

  
"Nah, let her. When she's right, she's right," sighed Chisame.

  
"Furthermore, if I haven't killed Boya yet, despite how much of an annoyance he's been to me, I'm not going to break my golden rule with you either," Evangeline added. "No way your blood would be as rich as his, anyway. He has the bloodline of Ostia's royalty added to his, while your mother was ... unremarkable enough that I barely remember her. I think she was part of Konoemon's staff when I was first brought here. Tell me, child, who told you about your actual parentage?" she suspiciously asked.

  
"My sister," Chisame said.

  
Eva narrowed her eyes. "Your older sister? That nervous wreck of a woman?"

  
"She said Mother wiped her memories of that time, but apparently Arika-sama helped her to recover them," Chisame explained mechanically, just going through the motions by now.

  
Evangeline bit on her own thumb. "So _she_ knows!" she said to herself, dripping poison with every word.

  
That wasn't good at all. She could figure out it now. Arika wanted to exert her influence over Nagi's children to guarantee her own claim on that idiot, who was rightfully Evangeline's for vengeance and sweet, sweet ... release. (Eva's mind helpfully blocked any other, kinder and more romantic imagery in the heat of the moment.) That couldn't be allowed. She had to play her own cards quickly to defeat that royal bitch in her own game.

  
"I can't believe I was so blind," she mused aloud. "All this time, the answer was right in front of me."

  
"Look, what do I need to do for you to kill me already?" Chisame asked tiredly.

  
Adding to her discomfort, Evangeline began to smile at her, in quite an unnerving way. "And why would you want to die because of that? Are you that attached to the man you thought your father?"

  
"F-far from it! It's just --!"

  
"It's just," Evangeline said as she rose to her feet in the water, hands on her hips, "that you think you can't be with Boya now."

  
"Th-that's not it either!!"

  
Eva feigned a sigh, as Chachamaru looked at her warily. Eva dodged her gaze and just smirked vaguely. "Of course, it's not like you had any real chance before this either. Boya is an immortal now, as you are well aware. And, Nagi's child or not, you are still a mortal. Your love would be doomed. You'd only grow old and dry while he remains young and vital forever, eventually dying and causing him great pain."

  
"Yeah," Chisame mumbled. "N-not like my interests were romantic, ever, but if they ever had been, which they weren't ... well, you just said it. It's just, this --"

  
Evangeline chuckled. "Yes, for Boya, it would have to be someone else who can hold eternity with him, like Chachamaru. Or me, even." As Chachamaru's cheeks grew faintly red, her Master asked, "You would like that, wouldn't you, my dear?"

  
"M-Master, I ..."

  
Then Evangeline caressed Chisame's neck with a sharp finger nail, and lowered her mouth to caress the tender skin with her fangs, never piercing, but teasing, as her words blew warm breath near Chisame's ear. "And of course, you like this sad woman as well, don't you? Maybe your electric instincts are a wonderful thing that could see their relationship where even I, the Great and Powerful Mistress of Puppets, failed. But to be worth walking with you and the Boya, she would have to prove herself as a demon. Do you think you could do that, Hasegawa Chisame?"

  
"Gyyuhhhhh ... whaaaaaa...?" babbled Chisame, who had frozen where she was.

  
"I said," Evangeline said, lowering her other hand to caress Chisame's trembling but firm thighs, slowly making her way up. "You might perhaps prove yourself worthy to hold eternity with Boya and your fan here, despite the sinful nature of such a relationship, if you were to take the only path one can take to be sinful and eternal at once. Mind, if I tell you this, it's only for Chachamaru's sake. I don't think you'll ever be able to manage it, but just so she never says I never did anything for her, I'm willing to offer you ... a fighting chance to become a demon."

  
And up two fingers of hers went up into Chisame's vagina, making the girl scream again. She clenched her teeth, and her hands clawed at the edges of the tub, as Evangeline's fingers, with their long sharp nails, explored the insides of her cleft, toying and teasing it in a calculated, torturing way. Right behind her, Chachamaru was having problems processing the whole situation, inwardly torn between her loyalty that forced her to stand back and her wish to help Chisame to the best of her capacities. Her Master's voice distracted her from her inner conflict for a moment.

  
"I know what you're thinking," she told Chisame. "You're thinking how you can't let this ruin your perfect normalcy. I mean, here you are, naked with two other girls as one of them touches you intimately. And those two females are a vampire and a robot. And as I touch you, you're thinking of your little brother, whom you love, and who happens to be a mage. And I have just told you there's a very slight chance for you to share your life with him. And naturally, you should be wary, and distrust me, because what I am doing, and what I am telling you, goes against any principle you have ever held."

  
At that, she touched a particularly sweet spot, and Chisame arched her back, moaning loudly. Evangeline pulled the slick wet fingers out of her and licked them dry with an air of arrogant aloofness. "But of course, your life is ruined already, so what difference does it make?"

  
Chisame rasped and wheezed, face bright red, trembling in Chachamaru's arms. "No ... I mean, what ... why, why are you doing this?"

  
"For several reasons," Evangeline said, placing a foot on Chisame's stomach. "First of all, because I can. And there's rarely a better reason than that. But I also do want to see if you have what it takes. You certainly have the inner darkness for it, and truth be told, I'd prefer to give you a shot for this boon ... and curse ... over the likes of Shiina and Kasuga. I don't give such things lightly, Hasegawa Chisame. The way I see it, left to your own devices, after learning of this, you'll end up a pathetic loser locked forever in your bedroom with your Internet connection. And normally, I would have no problems with that. It's what you deserve if you're pitiful enough to let this crush you. But perhaps, after all, you do have something that might either take you above it or sink you even further, and I must admit I'm curious to see what it is. You can't blame me. One grows bored easily after a few centuries."

  
"What do you mean, Master?" asked her servant.

  
Evangeline smiled, cupping Chisame's cheek in a hand and addressing her even though her next statement was mostly answering Chachamaru. "You have vexed me for a long time now, ever since you took Boya under your wing. Kagurazaka may break my barriers, but you ... you dare to challenge my will, ever since our first conflict. You question my terms, and make Boya question them as well. And yet, unlike most of your partners, who deflate and hide when I growl at them, you do have the necessary strength of character to do things like stopping Boya's rampage when he would lose his humanity. None of them could do that, and that might be the reason why, out of the whole lot of you, he just might need you more than anyone else. Anyone can support those they love, but it takes a special kind of person to stand up to them."

  
Chisame blinked. "Are you ... seriously praising me?" That was even more startling and confusing and terrifying than being masturbated by her.

  
Evangeline laughed dryly. "Don't let it swell your head, Hasegawa Chisame! I do think you are a special kind of person, yes, but I never said it was a good kind. And I believe Boya needs you, but we often need things that are not good or ... nice." She uttered that last word with a modicum of disgust. Chachamaru, despite BEING nice, didn't seem offended, though, the way a mother doesn't look angry when her bratty boy talks about all girls having cooties. "You need to accept that, even if Boya doesn't lose control anymore, he's still a monster, a freak of nature, as you called me earlier, and he'll always be. And the longer he lives, the more distanced from humanity he'll become. There's no way to change that. You have to accept he won't have the nice normal life you hoped for him."

  
Chisame cringed, trying to squirm free from Chachamaru's embrace. "Can ... can we continue this discussion out of the water? You two don't have to worry about this, but I'm getting wrinkles on my wrinkles."

  
"I'm being serious here!" Eva barked, moving her foot down to Chisame's feet, which gave the girl a direct visual angle at the vampire's vulva. "It's up to you to decide. You can resign yourself to losing Boya and heading back into the gray but safe life of a normal human, or you can follow him, but only if you forsake your own humanity. You have the inner tools for both paths, but you need stop stalling it. I'm sure Arika will also request the same of you."

  
"What are you talking about?" Chisame protested. "No way she'll want me with him if we're siblings, not that I--!"

  
Evangeline laughed. "You don't know a thing about Ostian royalty, do you? There are no branches that don't touch each other in their family tree." Before Chisame could ask what that meant, she was told, "The time for normal schoolgirls following a boy teacher has passed. Now, anyone following Negi Springfield, mage warrior, immortal beast, has to be of a comparable level. Accept that, or step out of his way. What do you consider the most important, to keep going with him regardless of the further deviancies that might bring into your life, or to crawl back to your safe place?"

  
Chisame opened her mouth to go on an angry tirade and rant on how she was full of shit, on how she would defy her this time too, on how she was insane and a pervert and how she hadn't enjoyed her ministrations. But looking at the fire in Evangeline's eyes, she felt her own surge, and she spoke, in a tone that startled Chachamaru, "Cut the crap, Eva. You really think I could go back now, even if I wanted ... I mean, if I want it so much? What's done is done. I can't change who my father is or all I've been dragged through. So I have no choice but to take this all the way, right? I won't give you the satisfaction of breaking down now, either! Bring it on! I'll pass any tests like I passed all the others you gave me!"

  
Evangeline smiled evilly. "Such a confident little devil." And she tossed herself on Chisame's neck, sinking her teeth into her flesh and making her moan again. It was such a sharp pain, and yet, it also came with a disturbing, thick sort of dark pleasure, intensified by how Evangeline drank her blood avidly while maneuvering her sex over Chisame's. Their clitorises touched for the first time, and Chisame gave another cry of forbidden rapture. With precise, strong strokes, Evangeline began pumping her hips against Chisame's, scissoring their legs together expertly, despite their difference in sizes. Chisame trembled in her strong vicious grip, and Chachamaru, fearing the sensations were being too violent and raw for her, decided to smooth them down by, after several moments of doubt, lowering her face and delicately kissing Chisame's lips.

  
She was surprised as Chisame kissed back fiercely, overcome by a long repressed lust and unleashed frustration, a hand sneaking between Chachamaru's legs as Evangeline continued giving her angry, relentless sex and licking the bleeding punctures in her neck. Chisame had kissed Negi for their Pactio, and been kissed repeteadly by him during the Mahorafest fiasco Haruna and Asakura had dubbed the 'Kissing Terminator Incident'. She had accidentally kissed Satomi once, and she and Asuna had kissed during the Love Potion debacle. Only the Kissing Terminator came close to this, but while there she was a wholly unwilling victim, here she was being pulled down into the warm, guiltily pleasurable abyss by every contact with both of the girls touching and being touched by her. Her rational mind screamed at her from somewhere, but its cries came as garbled nonsense drowned by the fire between her legs.

  
It was almost a disappointment when Evangeline stopped drinking from her, but she kept on being touched and squeezed, and their sexes kept on rubbing, so she also kept stroking at the curiously anatomically correct vulva of Chachamaru. From the brief sounds the gynoid was making, Chisame guessed it was working after all, despite her actions being only applied haphazardly based on what she did when she masturbated, and on a robotic body to boot. But if Hakase knew how to make pleasure spots in a robot's vagina, that not only posed the question of how she was so knowledgeable about that, but what was their purpose in the first place...

  
Ah.

  
Her orgasm had just arrived, making her hand falter within Chachamaru, although the gynoid finished it by touching herself a few more times, then relaxing ahead against Chisame with what just had to be a sigh, Chisame was sure of it. Chisame was still moaning and gasping for air when Evangeline pulled back, giving no signs of a climax of her own but seeming satisfied regardless. "That," she said, "was the contract of acceptance for your test. You weren't thinking I'd convert you by sucking your blood, right now, did you? No, this is only your first step. Now you have been tainted by my touch, yes, but that is only so you can even withstand what I am going to impose on you, and I can still take it back whenever I choose to."

  
Chisame nodded rigidly. "What ... what do I have to do?"

  
"Several things. I won't accept you are ready until you have given every sign of being so. But first of all, you will head into Mundus Magicus, alone, to retrieve something for me. You will be told your next step only after --"

  
"Wh-what?! Do I have to go all the way back to Wales and the Gateport?!"

  
"Of course not, you idiot. I know an alternate entrance, much closer to us. But before anything else, on second thought, get out of the damn water already. You're getting as wrinkled as a prune, and that makes for a digusting vision."

  
"I TOLD YOU THAT LIKE A HOUR AGO, DAMMIT!"

* * *

The rain had mostly stopped, and Negi Springfield now stood, wet and crestfallen, in one of dozens of puddles thar dotted the empty lot. The same vacant lot where, all those months ago, he had made his Pactios with Chisame, Misora and Satomi to stand a chance against the threat of Evangeline. After taking the lead on pressing for the alliance, Misora had had second thoughts and become reluctant, which, of course, made her two classmates act the same way.

  
_"Let's decide it with a game of Janken!" Misora suggested._

  
_"Allow Sensei to decide it," Hakase replied, sure he wouldn't pick her. "It's a bigger step for him than for us, isn't it? So it's just fair he-"_

  
_"M-M-ME?!?" Negi squeaked out, breathing harder._

  
_"You just want to avoid the responsibility of choosing!" Hasegawa told her. "If anything, we should decide it by popular voting! Democracy!"_

  
_Then, Misora and Satomi looked at her both at once. Chisame had a bad feeling which only grew worse as both of them pointed their right hands at her and chorused in perfect synchrony, "OKAY! THEN WE CHOOSE YOU!"_

  
_"WHAT?" The hacker freaked out. "You can't be serious!"_

  
_Chamo smiled. "Democracy! You said it yourself!"_

  
_"I demand a recount!" Chisame yelled._

  
_"WE CHOOSE YOU!" the two other girls repeated, poking their fingers into her direction categorically. This time, however, the ermine pointed at her as well. And after a few seconds of nervous, trembling panic, and giving her a silent, pleading look, Negi also aimed a timid finger at her._

  
_Chisame blushed bright red before tugging on her hair. "Arrrghhh! It's a conspiracy!"_

  
Thinking about it now, it almost made Negi smile. Almost. Back then, so short ago, a kiss had been such a huge deal, a life changing event, and while it still was that way to some degree, he had kissed so many girls now, not to mention that ... thing he had done with his mother, his concerns that day, beyond those directly related to Evangeline, seemed all but trivial at the time.

  
And yet, no matter how many more he kissed, no matter how much stronger they were at it than her, no matter how much longer those kisses lasted, no kiss so far could compare with his first kiss with Chisame, in how it had etched into his mind, branding him forever. Standing right where they had established their Pactio, tears escaping his eyes, he could relive those moments, nearly feeling her soft breath on his face again.

  
_"Hasegawa-san," his voice managed to come out weakly._

  
_"Shut up," she said, her voice coming out huskier than she expected. Then she quickly covered those obstructing, confusing eyes with a hand, blocking them and allowing her to finally lean in for the kiss, stamping her lips on his._

  
Something in his chest twisted and ached, and he took a hand to it, whimpering the cherished word to himself. "Chisame ..."

  
Her voice spoke then, too vivid to be a hallucination, startling him. "I knew you'd be here. Your mother told you, didn't she."

  
He spun around, running to go hug her, instantly forgetting his woes at the sight of her, wearing one of Chachamaru's dresses for some reason. "Chisame! Thank God you're okay! We looked for you everywhere, but without your Card, I couldn't contact you, and Master and Chachamaru weren't answering our calls, and--"

  
She placed a hand on his scalp. "I know. I was with them, it's just ... look, we were talking some things over. Why are you crying? You stupid kid, you should trust your Oneesan more," she quietly said, wiping a tear off his eye with a finger.

  
He shook his head. "I still don't believe it! There, there must be some mistake, Satomi has said she'd help us, with tests, no way Father would leave you, Sora-neesan must be mistaken ..."

  
She placed her arms around him. "Does it really matter either way? I won't stop looking after you, so don't worry. I'm not mad at you, and Chachamaru and Eva helped me realize ... a few things. Life will go on. What else can we do?"

  
"B-B-But --" He looked up at her face. "-- I thought --!"

  
"What did you think?"

  
He looked back down. "Nothing."

  
"No, you're always thinking _something_. Always. So tell me what it is."

  
"I'm not sure I'll ever be able to look at you as a sister," he whispered reluctantly.

  
And she sighed. "Good. Then don't. Whatever may happen, I'm Chisame. Hell, I don't even think of myself as 'Kobato's Oneesama', either! Just keep thinking of me the way you already did, and I'll do the same."

  
"But..." His blush grew stronger, so Chisame placed a finger on his lips.

  
"Let's not force any issues for now," she told him. "Because you're confused and upset, and you make horrible decisions when you're confused and upset, like that whole thing about becoming a demon."

  
"That, that was necessary! There was no other way at the time!"

  
"I know. It still was a bad move, though. Sometimes, all we're left with are bad moves. Negi, you'll forgive me if I make a necessary bad move of my own, right?"

  
"W-What? Chisame, what do you mean?"

  
She held him tighter against herself. "Nothing. Just asking. All that matters is that you won't get rid of me that easily. Siblings or not, that doesn't matter. All that matters is ... I'm your caretaker, and you'll be lost without me, so I take your burden gladly, because I have nothing better to do with my life."

  
"That's very sweet of you." Negi nodded, realizing that was as close to a declaration of love as Chisame could get. That was, after all, one of the things he loved about her.

  
Chisame laughed stiffly. "We're both pretty sad that way, aren't we? I suppose we are siblings after all."

  
He forced himself to laugh the same way. "Y-Yeah. But if I'm with you, I don't care."

  
She sniffled a tear of her own back. "Stupid precocious kid. You're as bad as me."

  
And she pulled him to herself, and they kissed passionately, in a way no two siblings ever should.

  
Negi Springfield. Teacher. Brother.

  
Hasegawa Chisame. Student. Sister.

  
Right now, they couldn't care any less about the titles.

  
_"Does it matter at all?" his mother had asked him before his departure. "My son, I loved my own father. He never loved me back, and that brought suffering. But when two souls love each other, honest and dearly, the ties of paltry flesh don't matter anymore. And that love, as long as it holds true, never can bring anything but joy. Never."_

  
And he loved Chisame even more than he loved his mother.

  
There was no way back. His mind was made up.

  
Since Chisame apparently felt the same way, a huge weight had just been lifted off him. His spirit soared through the kiss, in a way that, for now at least, set aside all his worries and feelings of inadequacy. Something no one else, not even Nekane, had ever achieved. His life was a nonstop parade of things to worry about, of standards to meet, and only Chisame made him feel free from them, and even moreso, freed him from caring about not being up to them.

  
She broke the kiss, and smiled at him, in that not really happy, but still quietly joyous, way of hers. "So let's go home," she said. "Hakase must be worried."

  
"Ah." He rubbed his nose, "Yeah, she is."

  
They left the lot hand in hand, marching together in silence, until Negi remembered something. "Oh, by the way," he added in a low voice. "There's something else Mother revealed to me. It turns out Asuna-san is her first child, born before she even met Father. So, um, well, she's also my sister, after all."

  
"..." Chisame said, before composing herself as best as she could. It wasn't that difficult, actually. In the aftermath of her own problems, Kagurazaka's seemed trivial by comparison. "Well. That's quite the curveball, isn't it? So ... who's her father, then?"

  
Negi told her as best as he could.

  
"Ugh. That's kinda gross," Chisame commented.

  
But, if anything, she squeezed his hand even harder.

* * *

 

That very same night, not too far from them, a tall, red-haired boy was walking back home after a long day at his Archery Club. Far from bulky but handsome and well built, there was still something unremarkable and average about him, mostly his unassuming posture and behavior, that made him easy to overlook in a crowd, especially in the quiet darkness of the evening. With his bag of books slung on a shoulder, and his archery set at his other side, he knocked on his own door for a moment before using his key and walking in when there was no answer.

  
His father was supposedly a 'special Mahora Academy Security Assistant', which technically gave him the rights to a house in campus and to keep his family living with him there. But in truth, the old man (and his mother, for that matter) spent most of the year out of town on errands and special jobs, so he thought it was a wonder he hadn't been fired yet. Often, he would try and chide him over that, but his parents never listened to him, and it grew very tiring and frustrating after a while.

  
On his way there, he had passed by the famous boy teacher walking hand on hand with one of his students, something that had caught his attention and made the two promptly drop each others' hands and continue walking together with feigned innocence. The older boy took a mental note of this, but decided to think about it later. He was a self-admitted fighter for any kind of righteousness he could achieve, something that had gained a few enemies among his classmates, so the idea of reporting them, or at least learning more about them first to see if there was something to report, looked tempting for a few moments.

  
But he had more pressing things to think about right then. There was the question of the upcoming finals for the Sports Festival, and also that strange itch on the back of his right hand lately. It was a very strong and distracting dark red rash that was enough to make him worry about his own health for once.

  
_"Let me see, Sempai," that extremely cute Kouhai in his Club, Matou Sakura, had requested as soon as he told her about it that morning. Nodding, he showed her his hand, and as she held it, the purple haired girl gasped softly to herself._

  
_"Something wrong?" he had asked her._

  
_The busty and kind girl swallowed and hesitated before answering. "I-I'm not sure, actually. I ... there might be something like this in ... in my family's books, but ... I'd have to read more on it." She had tried to smile. "But, but I doubt it's anything that might threaten your health, Sempai! Please don't go to a doctor before I do my research, okay?"_

  
_"Um, okay," the boy had nodded. "I'm surprised, Sakura-chan. I had no idea you were into medicine."_

  
_She had lowered her head, humbly. "Oh, it's nothing like that, actually. It's just ... well, I'll tell you about it later. When I know something for real. Y-yeah. Call me if something else happens to it, will you?"_

  
He had promised he would, but it was silly, really. What else could happen to a simple rash on a single part of his body? Maybe he had just been bitten by a spider while fixing those old stereos and the broken TV Sakura's brother had given him for repairs the week before. Or maybe it was because of the heat. It had been, after all, a rather hot autumn this year. Even right after a heavy rainstorm, the temperatures were rising up again just as soon as it was over.

  
_"Tadaima!"_ he said as he left his shoes and books aside. "Sorry to be late!"

  
"Welcome back, Shirou-kun," an attractive pale young woman in an apron and light long dress said while serving the dinner table, while another female, with shorter hair and wearing short shorts and a tank top, but otherwise identical to her, vegetated before the TV, merely greeting him with a passive wave of a hand. "You should call if you're going to take long outside. Illya-sama was worried about you."

  
"Ah, yeah, sorry, I got distracted, and ..." Emiya Shirou paused as he sniffed at the air. "Is she doing one of her experiments again?"

 

"I'm worried about her," the woman in the apron said as she nodded. "Lately, she's been coping with everything by locking herself up and playing alchemist. Would you please go see if you can bring her? She never listens to us, not like anyone but me even tries," she said that with a blaming glare at the girl watching television, who seemed not even to notice it.

  
"Sure thing, Sella." He began heading upstairs, stopping before a door painted white and knocking on it. "Hey, Illya-chan, I'm here! Drop the Mad Scientist act long enough to eat with me, okay?"

  
The door slowly came open, and out peeked a small albino face framed by long silvery hair, with large round red eyes that scanned Shirou carefully, until they took a good look at his hand, and the girl smirked. "Evening, Oniichan. It still hasn't healed, has it?"

  
"Geez, no, and you don't have to look that happy about it. Don't tell me you're trying to fix a cure for me in there!"

  
The little girl giggled as she walked outside, closing the door behind herself. "Curing you? No, Oniichan is fine just as he is! And I'm sure it'll go away soon enough! But enough of that! Now you're here, I'll eat. Give me a ride to the table!"

  
"Okay, okay, climb up," he sighed, helping the gleeful girl onto his back. As they went down the stairs together, he had all but forgotten his earlier encounter with Negi-sensei.

  
In the darkness of Emiya Illyasviel's bedroom, between dozens of jars, test tubes and containers where strangely colored liquids bubbled up and swirled in place, there was a rune covered wide circle on the floor, glowing softly, providing the sole light in the room.

  
Somewhere else, The Beast waited.

 

* * *

_  
_**NEXT** : Shirou.

 


	4. Period Three: Shirou

 

 

 

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

 

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

_Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 

 

Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading.

Thanks to Shadow Crystal Mage for his authorized inspiration for the Shirou/Illya scene.

I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

    

 

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period Three: Shirou.**   

* * *

 

_1939, Fuyuki City:_

_  
_A Japanese child -- an altar boy, actually -- and an American man in a ragged ensemble of scorched pants, torn shirt, open jacket and fedora stood at the edge of the city, watching the flames consuming it as it burned to the ground. The boy stood with a flat, dead expression, as the man shook his head to himself, hands on his hips, where a rolled up whip had been secured in place.

  
"I'm sorry, kid, I really am," the adult commiserated, placing a hand on the boy's shoulder. "But at least, the world will be safe from these bloody, pointless Mage Wars after this. It's done. No way they'll be able to use these grounds again, and that Grail thing died with them."

  
"There had to be another way," the child known as Kotomine Risei mused, in a strangely distant and broken tone. "So many lost lives ... so much suffering ..."

  
"I know. I know." The adventurer turned him around and began leading him away with him. "That's what always happens when humanity tries playing God. Hopefully, some day we'll learn ..."

* * *

_  
Present Day, Mahora:_

_  
_Matou Manor stood on the Southeast borders of Mahora Academy, barely close enough for a student to live there without resorting to the student dormitories instead, as long as they took a train very early in the morning and another very late in the evening. That generally meant Matou Sakura was dead tired by the time she got home, not that it ever spared her from cooking dinner and having to clean up after her arrival. She supposed it was a relatively good thing she had a lot of energy, or she would have cracked under the routine long ago.

  
Even so, she was all but falling asleep on her feet right then, but sheer willpower, the same force that kept her struggling day after day against the squirming within her, kept her awake as she read through the volumes she had taken from her Grandfather's library. She looked through the ancient tomes on arcane knowledge, prior studies, some supervised by Grandfather himself, helping her to find what she had been looking for relatively quickly.

  
She was now looking at pictures of complex designs on the backs of hands, similar to the vague outlines she had seen forming under Sempai's violent rash. Her breathing grew more agitated and nervous by the second, as reading through the annotations next to the graphics gave her an idea of the implications.

  
But surely, it couldn't be. The last Grail War had taken place in the late thirties, and there had been no news or rumors of another one, or even a sighting of the Fuyuki Holy Grail, since that time. Her Grandfather had once told her the Grail had been obliterated along with Fuyuki itself, and although he hoped to rebuild one someday, it would be nearly impossible without the cooperation of the Einzberns and the Tohsakas, and he had burned all bridges with all of them. Violently so.

  
Tohsaka. Just thinking about the name nearly made Sakura sick in the stomach. Sicker than usual, that was.

  
Then her heart jumped, as she felt a presence behind her, at the library's doorstep. She spun around and readied a frantic apology in her mind, but before she could stutter it, her panic subsided. "Oh. Oh ... it's just you, Nii-san. You scared me for a moment."

  
The purple haired boy two years her senior standing there in street clothes frowned. "What do you mean 'just you'? Sheesh. Why are you here at this hour?"

  
"Why are you?" she dared asking back.

  
"I was looking for you, couldn't find you anywhere. I'm going out to party with some friends, so I need you to call me in case the old man raises a ruckus again. You'd better leave this room before he learns you're snooping around, by the way," he added coldly. "I can't protect you all the time, Sakura."

  
She nodded. "I'm sorry. Ah ... have fun tonight, then, Nii-sama, but be careful."

  
He smiled smugly, placing his hands into his pockets. "I always am, or not? Well, see you tomorrow!" He carelessly turned around and walked away, as Sakura sighed in relief about how he had forgotten his earlier query. It showed he didn't care, which always was painful, but at least not as painful as if he had a ... dark interest in her, and in controlling her.

  
Even if the things moving within her craved that sort of attention far too often.

  
Sakura took another look back at Grandfather's books. Was it a coincidence, or could it really be? It seemed like a big leap of logic, but then again, those were common coin in affairs of magic. Sakura knew that better than anyone.

  
She grumbled as she lowered a hand down to her crotch, pressing on it to control the urge, which always raged harder when she was stressed out. The dark urges had become more frequent and vicious after she reached puberty, and sometimes, she thought they would drive her insane. The worst part was she was sure Grandfather knew, and was only biding his time to see her fall, for reasons Sakura couldn't fathom other than his dislike of her, and his pleasure at any time either of his grandchildren suffered.

  
Sakura had no one she could tell. Shinji wouldn't understand. Sempai would be horrified. She had no friends.

  
And the worst part of it all was, she knew her situation wouldn't improve with age either. She had read about the prior women of the Matou house. None of them had ever been able to escape the clan's shadow.

  
Although ... if that Holy Grail War ever happening again was anything more than an insane fantasy ...

  
Sakura quickly picked up the selected books and rushed with them to her bedroom.

  
She had a lot of studying to do.

  
After she masturbated, of course.

* * *

 

Even more than her feline green eyes or the dress of yellow and black stripes she almost always wore, what brought the image of a tiger to mind when considering that young woman with short light brown hair was the way she ate.

  
"Still not as good as Shirou's cooking, though!" she observed at some point between mouthfuls. "I dunno, yours kind of ... lacks spirit, Sella-chan!"

  
Sella shot her an icy stare over the breakfast table, while Leysritt, her sister, ate in her semi-permanent state of pleasant distraction, and Shirou sighed to himself, with Illya sitting as close to him as she could. "I cook with method, Fujimura-sensei. And I don't see you complain --"

  
"Seconds, please!" Fujimura Taiga pushed her now empty bowl of rice forward, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

  
"Coming up,." Shirou mumbled while refilling the bowl. "By the way, I've been meaning to ask ... exactly how well do you know Negi Springfield-sensei?"

  
Sella and even Leysritt stiffened slightly at that question, while Illya's tiny nose wrinked  a little. "Why do you ask, Oniichan?" she wondered suspiciously.

  
After a moment of confused silence of her own, the old friend of her parents smirked in a way creepily reminiscent of an Internet Troll icon. "Fu, fu fu fu! Ohhhh, Shirou-kun, this is really bad! Showing that kind of interest, out of the blue ... don't tell me you too have joined the club of Shota for Negi!"

  
Illya, Shirou and Sella spat their mouthfuls of rice all over the table, while Leysritt only raised an intrigued eyebrow.

  
"D-D-DARN IT, SENSEI!" Illya shrieked, bolting to her feet. "Onii-chan isn't that kind of perverted man!"

  
"Are you insinuating I'm another kind of perverted man?" Shirou guessed, quite correctly.

  
Taiga-sensei tossed another piece of delicious breakfast into her huge open mouth. "Well, you never know nowadays. During the time he's been here, he seems to charm everyone who crosses his path. I find it kinda creepy, actually, but he's a nice little guy, and it looks like he'll be a real hunk when he grows up. If he's still single by then, I might try him myself!"

  
Sella shook her head in faint disapproval. "I just can't believe this. If your grandfather could hear you now."

  
"I'm just saying, he's smart, and can keep up with us at our staff meetings no matter what," the woman in stripes replied. "He's also polite to a fault, and while we aren't very close, he still managed to remember my birthday, something _someone else_ didn't do," she added this with a not subtle at all look shot Shirou's way, making the boy squirm in his seat.

  
"I was just asking, um, because I was curious about --" Shirou muttered.

  
"The secret of his success?" Illya puffed her cheeks up. "Pervy Onii-chan, don't you have enough with me?"

  
"Oh my," Taiga commented snidely. "A full confession, at last. Just wait until Kiritsugu and the Teacher Commitee hear about this."

  
Shirou gave her a look that could kill while Illya hugged his arm and giggled. "Anyway, Taiga-nee, shouldn't you be heading for the job already? Remember, teachers must be there before us lowly students."

  
"Nonsense, Shirou-kun, I still have a comfortable time window of ..." she said as she took a look at her wristwatch, and then continued with, "GRRRAHHHH! I'M LATE, I'M LATE, I'M LATE! DAMMIT SHIROU THIS IS YOUR FAULT FOR DISTRACTING ME!" At super-speed, she gurgled down the rest of the bowl, jumped back to her feet, burped, and then bolted out the household's front door. "SEE YOU IN CLASSES BOY YOU'D BETTER BE THERE EARLY!"

  
Shirou, Illya, Sella and Leysritt waited for a few moments before Taiga ran back. "GIMME!" she cried.

  
Without a word, Leysritt tossed Taiga's briefcase (with a tiny Handpalm Tiger toy attached to it) over to her.

  
"BYE!" Taiga shouted before running away into the distance again.

  
Once, their mother had told Shirou and Illya a completely bizarre and nonsensical story of how she first met Taiga, and after coming to know Taiga better, the siblings now believed every word of that stupid absurd story. Of course, Shirou knew, the true answer probably was more prosaic and more related to how his upstanding and heroic father had ties to Taiga-nee's grandfather and his questionable business deals, but two different things could often be true at once, especially when Taiga-nee was involved. As for her grandfather, Shirou guessed part of heroism had to do with accepting people as they were, no matter what.

  
Although with Taiga, there was a lot of what.

  
"Well, we're gone!" the boy said as he went over to pick up his bicycle, and Illya tied her roller skates, inwardly swearing today she'd beat that little Kinomoto bitch.

  
"Have fun!" Leysritt waved.

  
"Please be very careful in your way back!" Sella said. "We've heard suspicious reports about creatures attacking some students lately!"

  
"Don't worry, Onii-chan will protect me!" Illya answered, slamming a tiny fist on her own chest. "By the way, Oniichan, are you going to take classes with that hand in bandages? They'll think you're a thug, just like that Harima creep or that bleached yankee, or the eerie guy in the class next to yours."

  
"I've told you, I don't think Ryuuji-san is really a thug, Illya-chan," her brother said, rubbing his right hand, heavily wrapped in white bandages. "Anyway, the itching isn't as bad when I have this on. Not to mention, it's starting to look really scary, I guess."

  
Illya pouted. "It didn't improve after I kissed it last night?"

  
He smiled. "I'm sure it will, soon. Maybe Illya-chan's kiss just takes a while to take effect. Anyway, Sakura-san told me she'd try to read up on it last night. Her family seems to have all sorts of old books on so many disciplines."

  
"Yes, they do," Sella replied, soundly oddly grim. "I do think it'd be better if you don't let others see that, Shirou-kun. We'll try contacting your mother today and see if she has ... some knowledge about it."

  
He nodded. "I'd appreciate that, Sella. Well, let's go, Illya-chan!"

  
But his sister already had begun skating away without looking back at him, much less answering.

  
Shirou blinked. "Did I say anything wrong?"

  
"You mentioned Matou-san," Leysritt quietly said.

  
"Huh? What's wrong with mentioning Sakura-san?"

  
"You really are clueless, aren't you?" Sella folded her arms.

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"Never mind. Just hurry up, before you're late."

  
As soon as the two maids were left alone, she asked Leysritt, "How much longer, do you calculate?"

  
"Either tomorrow or tonight," her sister carelessly said. "Should we try to do something about it?"

  
After a moment of contemplation, Sella shook her head. "No. It's Illya-sama's will, after all. That takes precedence even over Irisviel-sama's."

  
Leysritt nodded. "So. Practice after doing the dishes?"

  
Sella nodded back. "Practice after doing the dishes."

  
So they washed them, and then practiced.

  
All morning long.

  
On Shirou's bed, even.

 

* * *

 

During lunch break, Shirou's classmate Tohno Shiki had asked him about the bandages, and Shirou had answered with vague evasions about probably hurting his hand while fixing some machinery, which, after all, was true, for all he knew.

  
"But that makes no sense!" the red-haired, bulkier Inui Arihiko said amidst mouthfuls of his bento. "Not even you could be that clueless! Surely you'd have noticed when you hurt yourself!"

  
Shirou shrugged. "Eh, it happens, sometimes. I get so distracted by my job, I often even forget to eat."

  
"That's our Shirou-kun, alright," Matou Shinji chuckled cagily, enjoying the delicious lunch his sister had made for him. "All work and no fun will make you a dull boy!"

  
"Too late!" Arihiko laughed, half-heartedly poking a fist against Shirou's arm, making him laugh as well. "Hey, Emiya, why don'tcha use that as an excuse to visit the infirmary?"

  
"Always a nice idea," Shinji sagely nodded, with a hand on his own chin. "It's never a bad time to spend some time with Marikawa-sensei, if you like big sizes, or that Izumi kid, if you prefer the small ones. As a matter of fact, I think I might go break my hand right now."

  
"Need some help?" Arihiko offered.

  
"You two really should apply for a job on TV," Shiki sighed. "I heard there are vacancies on that _Carnival Phantasm_ comedy show ..."

  
As Shirou smiled at his classmates' usual antics, he heard a soft clearing of the throat coming from behind him. He looked back to see his best friend and Class Representative, Ryuudou Issei, a thin and cold looking boy with slick dark hair and glasses, standing very straight with an expression as serious as his custom.

"Ahem. Excuse me, Shirou, but could you come with me for a minute? I'm terribly sorry to interrupt, but --"

  
Shinji's dangerous smirk, if anything, only grew, making Shiki look downright wary. "Oh, don't worry, Iinchou. Aren't we all pals here? Of course, even if we aren't pals enough to discuss things as a group, we're still pals enough to let you and Shirou here talk in private, if you feel more comfortable. Right, guys?"

  
Issei smirked. "It's only a matter of basic privacy, Matou. You don't need to feel offended or anything."

  
"Sure, that's right what I was saying!" Shinj joked, waving a hand. "You know we're always respectful of your private time with Shirou, Iinchou! Take all the time you want, we'll wait here!"

  
"Shinji!" Shiki started. "Cut it out, it isn't funny anymore ..."

  
"Geez, you guys." Shirou stood up, hands in his pockets, and began to walk away, leading Issei with him. "You'll use anything as an excuse to rib  each other, won't you? Let's not start again. We'll be right back," he promised. After he and Issei were far enough away, and had gone around a corner, he added, "Don't let Shinji bother you. That's just his way of dealing with people. You know him!"

  
"Regrettably, so," Issei said. "But you're right, he's not worth the annoyance. Look, I hate bothering you over this, but your sister is at it again." And he showed him his cellphone, and the deluge of jealous, childish hate spam in it. "I don't know how she keeps getting my number, but even after I've changed it repeatedly, she won't stop. Not that I mind, really, but she's gotta stop. You need to teach her how to cope with people, how to treat others --"

  
Shirou sighed. "Sheesh. Won't she ever learn? I'm really sorry, Issei. I swear I don't know why she keeps doing this. It's not only you, even; Sakura-chan told me last week she --" He stopped and shook his head. "No, she won't do it again. I promise I'll be really serious about it this time."

  
"You should," Issei agreed. "Children need discipline, no matter how much we love them. And your sister ... well, she might need help, Shirou. I'm not joking. It's not normal for a child her age to be that jealous of anyone her older brother spends time with."

  
"It's just a stage," Shirou argued. "It's just, our parents are barely here at all, and she needs someone to latch onto. That's it, but she's a very sweet girl. I'll convince her to stop, and I'll warn her I'll tell Mom and Dad if she doesn't behave. Okay?"

  
"Of course. Sorry if I sounded too harsh, or rude." Issei looked down. "I didn't mean to insult your sister, it's just ..."

  
"No, don't beat yourself over it," Emiya answered. "Sometimes, I wonder ..." he whispered.

  
"Excuse me?" asked the shorter boy.

  
"Nothing," Shirou replied. "Again, she's a good kid, Issei, for real." And he smiled. "Maybe you also should do your part and stop mistrusting girls so much!"

  
Issei pushed his glasses up his nose. "As soon as you stop blindly trusting anything in a skirt, Shirou."

  
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?"

  
It was Issei's turn to smile, even if subtly. "You know what I mean." While he really didn't, Issei tended to overestimate him, so he walked away after patting Emiya on a shoulder. "Well, that'll be enough. Lunchtime's almost over, and Fujimura-sensei will be mad if we are late."

  
Shirou nodded, while still trying to figure out what that last part had been about.

  
He wasn't that bad, was he?

 

* * *

 

  
Back at home, over the dinner table, Illya only gave token nods and promises of stopping, once more, when Shirou confronted her over the issue, taking advantage of Taiga being elsewhere, most likely out drinking. It would have been very awkward to discuss that in front of her. Hell, it was bad enough discussing it in front of Sella and Leysritt, even if the latter never seemed to care, and for once, neither did the former, that evening.

  
"I'm so very sorry, it was just an impulse," she repeated her lines from the last time. "I swear it won't happen again, Onii-chan! I only did it because you were spending more time with them than with your family!"

  
He sighed, once again beaten before the battle of wits could actually start. "Even if I do, and I promise to work on that, that's not their fault, so please don't bother them anymore, all right? It's my fault, so if you're feeling neglected, just tell me before doing anything else."

  
"That's what Oniichan always says, but Onii-chan always keep breaking those promises and spending more time with the weird boy and the lovesick girl," Illya pouted petulantly, looking aside. "As long as Onii-chan keeps breaking his word, so will I! Lead by example, Onii-chan!"

  
"Lovesick? Sakura isn't lovesick!" Shirou said. "Heck, she's never given any signs of liking anyone, even."

  
Sella, Leysritt and Illya looked flatly at him.

  
"What?" Shirou asked.

  
"I'm going to assume that's the clever way a son of Kiritsugu-sama would play the fool to slip away from danger," Sella said.

  
"Um, sure, whatever." Shirou chose to steer away from the topic now, but first he had to make a quick saving throw. "I swear I won't fail you anymore, Illya-chan, but you've gotta realize we all should also have our own social lives. Maybe you should spend more time with, um ... what's her name, that girl with the thick eyebrows ... and that girl who keeps chasing Issei and me with a sketchbook ... she could use a friend too ... and now the Sports Festival is coming, that's a great chance to bond with them! Sella, are these oysters? We never eat oysters."

  
"Don't you like them?" the lead maid asked, with a subtly dangerous tone.

  
"It's not that! They --" He tasted them, actually finding them quite good. "They are great, but I just wondered what's the occasion."

  
"It's as good a night as any other for seafood that helps build up strength, Onii-chan," Illya said, in a way that would have made more worldly boys seriously wonder. "By the way, how's your hand doing?"

  
"Just the same, I'm afraid." He looked at the bandaged hand, which itched like crazy. "If it hasn't improved by tomorrow, I'm defintely taking it to infirmary." Come to think about it, Sakura-chan hadn't even touched on the subject after the afternoon's archery sessions, and he wasn't going to bother her if she didn't take the first step.

  
"I'm sure it will improve pretty soon!" Illya nodded firmly. "I'll make sure of healing it with all my love!"

  
Shirou gently laughed at how cutely serious and driven she looked then.

  
Like a pretty capricious angel.

 

* * *

 

Shirou tried to keep himself in the best shape he could, thanks to the education he had gotten from his father and Taiga, and most would say he had been quite successful. He was physically vital and fit, a hard worker, and rather difficult to exhaust. Yet, that evening, after dinner, he found himself feeling tired fairly early. Alone in his bedroom, trying to complete his homework, he struggled against exhaustion, blaming it on the stress of the preparations for the Sports Festival. The thought that it might be connected to his itching hand was somewhat troubling, but since he didn't see how the two things could be related, he mostly tried to ignore the idea.

  
He couldn't pinpoint the exact moment when he actually fell asleep on his desk. The bedroom was mostly spartan and functional in style, other than the superhero memorabilia neatly ordered on his shelves -- mostly of Superman-sama, who was his favorite hero. (Other than his father, of course, but even Shirou had teenage appearances to keep up and hadn't openly looked up to his old man for the last few years.) He often dreamed, like he was doing now, of becoming a valiant champion who challenged evil with a grim, stern scowl, or a confident, dashing smile, depending on his mood that day. He liked to believe he took such dreams very seriously, so he mostly favored the humorless punisher of evil approach. But never too dark. Never intense and fearsome enough to drive the children and other innocents away. Even if he most often left them behind after dispatching the enemy, to keep himself on the lonely path of the warrior, marching towards the red sunset.

  
That was so cool ...

  
Right now, he was dreaming of marching into the snowy mountains of a World of Magic, bravely challenging the fury of the elements, his feet plowing through a thick layer of white. He could see the Ice King's castle in the distance, atop the tallest peak of the country, and he knew, in the highest tower, the mad tyrant held the beautiful Princess prisoner. The Hero would not falter until he had rescued the fair damsel, even if the chilling winds tortured his body, especially below his waistline, since he was missing his pants, and --

  
Shirou woke up with an abrupt start. "What!" he yelled, stumbling as he pulled his hips away from the desk. His pants and underwear, which were down around his ankles, got his legs caught in such a way he couldn't help but falling to his back, feet in the air, his exposed manhood covered in saliva, and -- though quite hardened -- flopping back to slap against his lower belly. "Ow! Dammit!"

  
"Ouch!" another, higher pitched voice whined, and Illya crawled from under the desk on all fours, stopping for a moment to rub on her head with a hand and sob. "Oniichan, you idiot! I try to do something for you, and you hurt me!"

  
He looked at her, from his awkward fallen angle. She was in her pink pajamas, with copious amounts of drool flowing down her little mouth, and drops of it also were scattered on the floor, roughly covering the distance between her lips and his penis. "GIIIIHHHHHH!" Shirou shrieked, taking his hands to his pants and trying to yank them all the way back up. "Illya! W-what are you doing here?!"

  
Without missing a split second, the hand that had been rubbing Illya's head was now instead on his own, preventing him from putting the pants back up. It was often easy to forget how unusually strong she was for her size. "No, Onii-chan. You shouldn't reject my special gift for you. You'd break my heart, and you don't want to do that, do you?"

  
"W-w-what are you saying?!" the boy shrilled, as his other hand also was caught in hers as it was in mid-way to the pants. "Illya, please! This isn't funny!"  
Illya looked at the still half still thing poking from her brother's body. "Hmmmm. It's bigger than I remembered it, yeah. It's been so long since we last bathed together. Why did you stop doing it? I still bathe with Mom and Daddy, after all."

  
The terrified boy crawled on his back, heading for the door, but she still wouldn't let him go, forcing him to drag her around with himself. "Illya, anyone knows boys and girls can't bathe together after a certain age! Lemme go! This is embarrassing!"

  
"Oh!" Illya beamed. "So I am, after all, a girl for you now!"

  
"Of course you are!"

  
"Great!" she grinned wickedly. And oh so cutely, yet. "I was getting afraid I was only a child in your eyes!"

  
"Y-you are! That's why this is wrong!"

  
"Tsk. Is it wrong because I'm too old now, or because I'm still too young? Make your mind up, silly Onii-chan!"

  
"Both!" he gasped. "For the love of God, Illya!"

  
"Which God, Onii-chan?" Mischievously, she got closer, eyes sparkling. "Me, I feel like worshipping Aphrodite, Goddess of Love and Sensuous Passions."

  
"Don't tell me they're teaching you Greek myths already!" Shirou paused in his attempted escape, only to curse his stunned reflexes and easily distracted nature a moment later, when Illya bobbed her head back up, mouth wide open, and, like a fish jumping out of the water to catch a passing fly, took claim of Shirou's manhood in her mouth. It was big, so she couldn't take it all within its small confines, but she still had a very strong grip on it. "Yiiiiii! Illya, no, what the--!"

  
When he tried to pull it out, she replied by using her teeth to keep it in place, making it clear she'd bite as hard as she could if he tried to break free. So, shocked and dazed and mildly wondering if he wasn't still dreaming, which still would have been troubling on its own, he froze and allowed her to start fellating him, clumsily and sloppily, but with a chilling enthusiasm and vigor. Shirou shuddered, rattled by a terrifying sensation as his eyes rolled into their sockets, spinning madly around, looking at the Superman posters staring down at him as if accusing him. That made him react, inasmuch by giving him a new mental push to protest against the hideous wrongness of the situation. But his cries of "NO, NO!" were only met by Illya's hands squeezing on his hard buttocks, and the happy wet sounds of her tongue on his erection. That was also horrifying. Shirou's physical drive was mostly spent on sports and workshop time, but he still knew the basics of 'Stiff penis means sexual excitement', and he was very hard as his sister kept suckling on his thing, so that had to mean he was finding the situation physically pleasurable, and after a second of shock, he realized that yes, it felt good. That had to stop, so his hands went to Illya's head to push it back, even if it meant she'd bite his cock off.

At this point, it probably was what he deserved anyway.

  
But those treacherous hands he once had hoped could hold the weapons of a Hero, instead, remained on Illya's scalp, guiding her head up and down and back up and so on gently as he gasped, and as he did so, his thoughts wandered to Tohsaka Rin, gorgeous queen bee of his peer group, arrogant and distant. And maybe a bit of Sakura-chan on the side. And Taiga, why not. And ... GAHHHHHH, NO, NO, BAD THOUGHT, BAD THOUGHT, HE HAD TO--!

  
"Shit!" he swore, as his hips jerked spastically in place twice, and he felt himself shooting a few loads of semen into Illya's mouth.

  
She coughed, finally pulling back, and even through his afterglow mixed with unbearable self-disgust, the boy retained enough of the caring older brother to try and check on her wellbeing. "Illya-chan! Are you--?!"   After coughing loudly, she lifted her head just as he lowered his, and they met in the middle, so that she pressed her lips against his, sweetly, and he had his first strange taste of something he recognized a moment later as his own sperm, caught between their mouths. She blew the pearly liquid into his throat, making him gag and swallow, and then she giggled evilly.

 

"Gotcha! That's payback for hurting my head!"

  
"Gah! Gah! Gah!" Shirou tried, too late, to spit. But if his stomach's rumblings were to be believed, he'd be vomiting shortly afterwards anyway. "D-d-damn it, Illya-chan! Why ... what has gotten into you?!"

  
"Love, Oniichan," she replied. "And soon, your big thing into my thing, too!"

  
He backed away on his butt, frantically. "S-Scratch that off! This, this is bad, you've done a very bad thing!"

  
"And you haven't?"

  
"Y-Yes! Of course! That's the worst of it all! Now they'll pull us apart ... in more than one sense! Siblings should never do these things, Illya-chan!"

  
She assumed an air of innocence. "Oh dear! I had no idea, Onii-chan! Since you never told me."

  
"W-where did you learn how, how to do that? Leysritt unlocked the porn channels again, didn't she?!"

  
"Um, actually, I just spied on Mom and Dad doing it."

  
"What?"

  
"I think Mom knew I was watching, actually, but she was nice enough to let me," Illya mused, a hand on her cheek. "Daddy's thing is even bigger than yours, even now you're a big boy, but don't worry, I still love you better."

  
Shirou sputtered randomly for a few moments, face bright red, before asking weakly, "Mom?"

  
Illya looked coyly at him. "Would you like doing it with Mommy, Onii-chan? If you really need a woman, and I'm too small for you, I'd prefer letting you be with her instead of that ugly busty girl."

  
"D-Don't bring Sakura-chan into this!"

  
After a moment where she looked almost demonically outraged by the mere mention of that name, she deflated into a disturbing chuckle. "You're right, let's not taint this perfect moment of our love thinking of that ugly girl. You still haven't pulled those pants back up, Oniichan, so I take it you still want to play more?"

  
"Ahhhhhh ... no!" And he tried to pull them up, but she was faster and yanked them all the way off first, tossing them clear across the room.

  
"Too late!" Illya giggled, standing up and pulling her pajama bottoms and the small pink panties down, showing him the very pale nakedness that made Shirou gag harder than ever, and his treacherous virility begin to raise once more. "Now, if Onii-chan calls for help, he'll break Illya-chan's heart, so Illya-chan will retaliate by telling the girls you tried to do very bad things to me!"

  
"What the ... hey, Illya, no, that's --!"

  
"Who would everyone believe, Onii-chan? You, or me?"

  
All of that was evil and wrong and twisted. Worse, Shirou was sure there was no way for him to become a Hero of Justice anymore. Hell, even The Punisher would walk away from him in disgust. No, actually, The Punisher would simply shoot him in the head. And becoming a supervillain was out of the question too. They wore the dumbest outfits, and he hated them, buts mostly, he believed even supervillains had some standards he had just betrayed. Maybe he should kill himself, because he doubted he even counted as a human being anymore.

  
Illya walked away from him, rested her upper body on his bed, and stuck her naked petite butt up. "Punish me, since I'm so bad, then, Onii-chan."

  
Well. That made sense, Shirou's fracturing, shaky mind decided. Heroes punished evil, and Illya was definitely acting very evil. Maybe, then, he at least could make one right thing before killing himself and riding the world from a being as hopeless and horrible as him.

  
He'd spank her --

  
Shirou erratically staggered until standing right behind Illyasviel, grabbed her hips, and pushed his cock into her small vagina, making her gasp aloud.

  
\-- orrrrrrrrrr he'd fuck her, because he already had fallen that low anyway, and the worse he went, the more of a favor he'd do the world when he offed himself.

  
That made even more sense, Shirou decided as he started fucking his moaning sister. Meanwhile, his rational mind tossed its hands up in defeated exasperation and turned itself off for the ride.

Shirou grunted to himself as he pumped into her, squeezing his eyes tightly closed and trying to keep thinking of Tohsaka Rin, although Illya's very loud moans and whimpers were making that difficult. Then he realized whimpers had to mean pain, so he asked, "Ah! Are, are you in pain, Illya, Illya-chan? I should--"

  
"Don't you dare pull out!" his sister cried. "Or I'll call for Sella!"

  
It was his turn to whimper. As things already were, it seemed kind of a miracle in and of itself how the sounds of tortured pleasure so far hadn't brought the maids yet. Somehow, it seemed fishy, since you couldn't drop a needle anywhere in the house without alerting Sella, but his mind was too muddled right then to think about that too deeply. His hands, trembling and sweaty, traveled under Illya's pajama top, caressing her tiny breasts and then playing with the diminutive rock hard nipples between his fingers.

  
"Ah! Onii-chan, keep doing that! Onii-chan!"

  
Breathing in and out madly, and finding the cloth in his way bothersome, he pulled the top all the way off her, to better massage the torso of the naked girl, himself reduced to only his shirt. Soon, that went off too, as he took it off between pumps, all the better to enjoy his bare flesh against hers. He was no longer thinking on any level beyond the primal one, and judging from how her mewlings and yelps were becoming more incoherent and urgent, neither was she. He began to feel like he had the couple of times he'd clumsily pleasured himself over magazines Shinji all but forced him to borrow, like he was about to --

  
"Illya-chan!" he rasped. "I'll, I think I'm--!"

  
"Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Onii-chan! Onii-chan!"

  
He more or less understood a gentleman had to make his partner, how did they call it, finish before he did, so, taking a vaguely remembered cue from an article in one of the aforementioned magazines, he put his hand on Illya's quim, eventually finding the small nub he supposed was a whatchamacallit, and rubbed it, making her orgasm on the spot with a shrill scream. Well, that had been easy, he guessed, assuming it had been indeed an orgasm. Not like he had too long to worry about that before his own climax overtook him, making him grunt as his hips twitched, and up his second discharge of seed went into Illya. They shuddered together for the next few moments.

  
"Haaaaa ... haaaaaa ... haaaaaa..." Shirou swallowed air, plopping down on his butt, his buttocks and stains of his semen hitting the carpet. Illya gave a very long and realized sigh, before turning around with an angelic smile. She sat down on Shirou's lap and placed her forehead against his lips.

  
"Kiss," she commanded.

  
"Bwah?"

  
"Where I hit myself," she said. "Kiss it and make it all better. It's the least you can do for me after what I did for you, right?"

  
"What you did for ..." He trailed off, before smiling sadly, weakly, and pecking her head. "Oh, Illya-chan. Why?"

  
"You love me, don't you, Onii-chan?"

  
"Of course I do, but --!"

  
"No buts. You love me, I love you, and that's what people who love each other do all the time, right? So what's the problem, as long as you love me?"

  
He rubbed his eyes. "Look, it isn't as simple as that..."

  
"Oh, I know," she waved a hand. "I won't tell anyone, but you have to promise me you won't, either."

  
He felt, for a moment, like asking how she was so aware it had to be kept a secret if it was supposed to be something all those who loved each other did, but he decided it was just not worth it. He'd only make things even worse by sticking his foot into his mouth like every other time he talked to women, and mostly, his little sister was giving signs of being sleepy now, lightly supporting herself on him as her head began bobbing against his chest.

  
"Onii-chan," she whispered, "Can we sleep together? Can you hold me while I sleep? Please?"

  
Without the drive to refuse, he nodded and took her in his arms, carrying him bridal style to his bed and placing her there. When he reached for her clothes, she stopped him with a gesture, beckoning him closer. "No. Like this. Let me feel your body's warmth directly. I want it this way."

  
Wordlessly, they lay down together. He kept his eyes open, looking haunted, as she quickly fell asleep on him, smiling pleasantly, even if there were heavy hints of wetness in her eyes. Once he was sure she was completely asleep, he rose from the bed, covered her in blankets to her neck, kissed her forehead chastely, dressed back up, and stumbled out the room. A quick visit to the bathroom and a vomit into the toilet later, he aimlessly wandered through the house, pulling on his hair, and bashing his head against the walls.

  
He ran outside, into the warm autumn night, crying like a child, like he hadn't cried since the very first night he could remember. He had just betrayed every trace of human decency, and everything he ever hoped to someday stand for. After this, he would never be able to look his parents, his maids, Taiga, Issei or Sakura in the eye again. Much less his own reflection in the mirror. Or his Superman-sama action figures. He puked a second time on the grass, then plummeted to his knees in the middle of the lonely darkness, under the cloudy sky. He bashed his fists against the dirt and decided to kill himself. It was the only remotely honorable thing left to do. His father hid swords in the workshop where he had tried, in vain, to teach him magecraft behind his mother's back. Maybe he could perform a decent seppuku.

  
"Emiya Shirou?" a beautiful voice with an European accent -- French, if he remembered his movie nights with Mother correctly -- called at him from the shadows.

  
Startled, he lifted his head back. "W-who wants to know? Who's there?"

  
"Let me see your hand," the voice requested.

  
Suddenly entranced by the quiet power of that voice, Shirou raised his cold, quivering left hand.

  
"Your other hand," the woman, it had to be one, asked then.

  
Shirou lifted the right hand.

  
"Take the bandages off," the young woman said this time. She had taken a step forward but remained wrapped in shadows that barely showed she was slim and well curved.

  
Shirou docilely undid the bandages and let them drop. His hand had stopped itching, but now burned madly instead.

  
Blood-red lines, two of them curves, the third one vertical above them, showed on his exposed skin now. At the sight of them, the woman seemed to hiss in mild surprise. But she regained her voice and aplomb just as quickly.

  
"I am Servant Ruler, Guardian of the Holy Grail War," the fair skinned blonde said, stepping further forward, her long hair made up in a very long braid, strange black and silver armor covering her, a long metal sword in her right hand. "And to stop this grotesque mockery of a War before it spreads further suffering, you must die, I am afraid. My apologies," she added with a clearly heavy heart, before dashing ahead, blade at the ready.

  
Shirou quickly decided he didn't want to die yet after all. The next thing he knew, he was being pierced through the arm he had used to block the blade before it could reach his head. Bit of luck. Relatively light wound. Still hurt more than anything he'd ever felt before.

  
"AAARRRRGGGHH!" Shirou screamed, staggering back as the woman pulled her weapon back and readied a second strike, despite the tense and reluctant look on her face. "Why are you doing this?! What have I done to you?!"

  
"Nothing," she admitted. "Were this about me, I would gladly die before reaping a young life. However, sadly, great evils will be unleashed upon this world if the Grail War is allowed to run its course. Please forgive me." And she lunged forward again. This time, he ducked, and the blade bit deeply into his shoulder, almost reaching to his neck, had he not swung his arm to deliver a punch to the woman's face. His father had taught him to never hit a woman, but he had included a corollary stating exceptions could be accepted as long as the women were attacking you with deadly force. It had once saved his life in kindergarten, and it saved his life here too, even if just having his fingers grazing Ruler's side headpiece seemed to have broken them.

  
"Wha-What the--!" he cried, but forcing himself to keep fighting for his life, he stomped down a foot, dug it into the ground, and kicked up, throwing dirt all over the woman's front and face. That did nothing but distract her for a second, but that was all Shirou needed to turn around and make a run for his home. There were weapons and tools Father had hidden in the workshop, and maybe, just maybe, he would have a fighting chance with those. Calling for help was out of the question for now. No way anyone would arrive to help him before that woman had killed him.

 

* * *

 

  
Patrolling the borders of the staff residential areas, Negi Springfield flew on his father's bandaged staff, using a cloaking spell to keep himself invisible. He could have flown around in his lightning form, but in truth, he still preferred flying the old way outside of combat situations. It allowed him  a more detailed surveillance, it saved energy, and mostly, it kept him in contact with his most prized belonging.

  
It had been a slow night so far, and he was growing sleepy from sheer boredom, actually. Which was a nice change of pace after the frantic stress of his stay in Mundus Magicus, but still, it probably would be better to just head back home already and get some sleep, now that Mitsuru-sensei's turn was nearly up. He had to rest if he wanted to be ready for important things like continuing the search for his father,  further education by his mother, or telling Asuna about their relationship without completely alienating her. Chisame seemed to have taken it relatively well, but you never knew with Asuna ...

  
Then he heard a scream of agonizing pain not too far, and all of that was forgotten for the moment as he headed towards the source of the disturbance.

 

* * *

  
Shirou was running on pure adrenaline now, despite just wanting to faint already. He was losing a lot of blood from both wounds as he ran, and his chest seemed to be getting unbearably cold as well. He could hear the woman rustling after him, growing closer and closer with surprising speed, and the worst part seemed to be that she really wasn't even trying hard. Moreso, it was as if she actually felt reluctant to finish him off. She moved with graceful speed that was quite wary and subtle, and then spoke aloud. "Perhaps I could be persuaded to let you live if you just surrendered your Command Seals, along with your hand ..."

  
Losing a hand was actually sounding tempting by that point, but Shirou had already stumbled into the door of his father's small work shack, and he might just as well just end the chase the way he had intended to. He locked the door behind himself and barricaded it with every heavy object he found at hand, ignoring the burning pain from his wounds. After a second of catching his breath back, he started to look around for weapons. But then, with a single kick, the woman shattered the door and sent all the heavy objects flying everywhere, most of them crashing against Shirou.

  
"Not f--- WHUUULF!" the boy gasped, falling against a wall and then slumping to the floor, sitting on top of an old drawing his father had once made for him when he was little. He had said something back then, about fate and about always being ready for everything no matter how ridiculous it might seem, but Shirou barely could remember his own name now, much less that. "No ... not like this!" he struggled to get back up, his legs failing him, red seeping from his body and neatly aligning itself, as if gifted with a life of its own, over the lines of the drawing beneath him. "I won't, I can't die yet! Not before I make it up to Illya! This is no way to pay! I refuse to die like this!"

  
The woman standing at the door asked, "What do you mean, poor lad?" with a soft, puzzled tone, before tensing up in renewed alert. "Oh, no. Dear Heavens, it is already beginning? But how --?"

  
"I WON'T DIE YET!" Emiya decided, yelling in extreme angry impotence, as the shelves on the wall above him collapsed, bathing him with a flood of ancient magical trinkets that just looked like mundane crap, mixed up with a lot of actual mundane crap. "NO!"

  
And the drawing on the floor glowed brightly, and a force erupted from him making the room literally explode in light. And, in that moment, Ruler jumped ahead, indecision cast aside to plunge her sword through Shirou's heart ...

  
... only to be blocked at the absolute last moment by a pair of much shorter blades crossed together.

  
Shirou and Ruler blinked as one as they noticed there was now a man standing between them. A tall, strong, extremely good looking, deeply tanned man in red and black, with the most badass looking of all badass coats, short white hair, and a cocky, defiant grin on his hard dry lips.

  
The young woman gasped. "It cannot be."

  
And the tanned man was about to reply, when his grin faltered for a moment. "You -- " he whispered, looking at Ruler's face, before his sudden fascination died down as soon as the moonlight shone again through the clouds and the window, allowing a better view of the female's features. "No," he said. "A remarkable similarity, however. Will you allow me to introduce myself? I am Servant Archer. I'll be the one kicking your butt tonight."

  
Shirou blinked, then said, "Ah... thank you?"

  
"There'd better be a damn good explanation why you aren't Tohsaka Rin," the man warned him without looking back, right before his blades and Ruler's began clanging in close quarters combat, over and over.

  
Shirou knew he had to say something else. Asking what had the man meant would normally have been it, but even such an important question had to take a back seat now in favor of: "Don't fight, don't fight!"

  
Clang, clang clang clang, the sounds of metal on metal went on.

  
"I mean, damn, you'll destroy my father's workshop! More than it already has been!"

  
The man absently shoved a foot backwards while fighting, to kick him in the stomach and keep him quiet.

  
Shirou doubled over and gagged.

  
He wanted a do-over for this whole day. 

* * *

 

Collapsing into a crouching ball in the darkness, Shirou felt around for anything to use as a weapon for his escape. He first found an empty rusty bucket, then a moldy old magazine, finally a mop. He could have sworn Dad kept a gun, flashbangs and ceremonial daggers in here, so where --

  
"Give it up, brave Servant," the girl told the tanned man, forcing him back with her longer sword. Her face was grimly serious, in stark contrast with his forced cocky smirk. "You are strong, but I was chosen as the controlling force behind the War for a reason. I can and will subdue any Servants who disobey the sacred rules."

  
Archer snickered dryly. "So, it's impossible to challenge you? How sad for you, then, that any Heroic Spirit managed to land their position ... by defeating the undefeatable!" And somehow, all of a sudden, he had materialized a perfect copy of Ruler's sword between his hands, using it to fight back, both now more evenly matched in a fiercer struggle.

  
"You are not even a Heroic Spirit! Counter Guardian!" she said, parrying a particularly close strike and almost cutting him in retaliation.

  
"Same difference," the man in red and black said carelessly, using her all too brief distraction to kick her in the stomach, driving her further back. "If you know that, you'll also know I'm here by virtue of being crafty, rather than heroic."

  
She countered easily, recovering very soon and retaking the offensive. "Even if you would have dreamed of being the later, rather than the former?"

  
Tired of feeling around for a real weapon while bleeding to death, Shirou stood as best as he could, supporting himself on the mop. "S-seriously, who are you guys, and why are you having long stock dialogues while destroying our --"

  
"Quiet!" the man barked at him, right before the woman swung decisively and slashed his copied weapon off his hands. She had him at her mercy for a moment then, making him raise his hands... only to have the same shorter blades from before pop out of his sleeves, and when he quickly brought his hands down, the dual swords swooped down for the female's neck. She ducked under them right in time, and that was the moment when a small figure valiantly brandishing what she recognized as a sorcery baton appeared at the wrecked doorstep, aiming it at them. "... no way," the tanned man muttered.

  
"Stop what you're doing, immediately, all of you!" a child's voice yelled, managing to be both majestically authoritative and hilariously out of place at once. "As a Mahora certified teacher, I command you to stop disrupting the campus' peace!"

  
Ruler considered her options quickly, as Archer pinned his blades against her throat, despite the newcomer's warning. As much as she despised them, some of her instructions included disposing of any outsiders who might pose a threat for the proper War system by revealing information about it to the mundane world. That even included magic users who weren't proper Masters. However, the child was an unknown factor tossed into an already unstable and compromising situation with the Archer, and engaging them both at once might well attract further onlookers. She could already hear rumblings and voices from the nearby house.

  
But mostly, she hated the very idea of hurting someone as young as that determined looking boy in the green suit and red tie.

  
"Let her go," that boy told Archer. "You have to the count of three to drop your weapons. I'm completely serious. One..."

  
Archer ignored the child. "How many more?" he asked the girl.

  
"You are the first, and you'll be the last," she promised, before just jumping up extraordinarily high, through the huge new hole in the ceiling, startling even Negi. Archer stood back, frowning, pulling his blades back, as the kid leapt up after her. He clung to the ceiling for a moment, then looked around in all directions, and to his growing amazement, saw no hint or trace of her anywhere. Grimacing, he dropped back down into the workshop, and hissed when he saw Archer standing over Shirou, a hand on the older boy's scalp as his other hand aimed a short sword for his throat.

  
"If you harm that student, I will show you no mercy," Negi Springfield warned.

  
"Did you let her go?" Archer asked, not looking back.

  
"I repeat--"

  
"No. _She_ let _you_ go," he sighed. "How did the saying go? No one could ever hope to defeat Negi Springfield, except an attractive woman. But isn't that always the way?" he mused, spinning the dual blades in place before sliding them back into the black number he wore under the longcoat. "Fine, let's play this your way for now."

  
"How did you--" Negi began, but forgot his question as he noticed Shirou's sorry state and ran to his side. "Ah! Emiya-san! Are you -h? H-Hold on there, I'll take you to a friend of mine who can help you!"

  
"He's beyond any help, if you ask me," Archer softly sneered.

  
As he examined Shirou's wounds closely, Negi took only a moment to stare at him. "Did you do this?"

  
"N-no, not him ..." Shirou stuttered. "He ... he saved me, actually."

  
"Oh, for the love of..." the 'Servant' folded his arms. "Don't get me wrong. I'm not here to help you; far from it, actually. I simply must have taken, as they say, a wrong turn at Albuquerque."

  
"You'll come with us for questioning," the child sternly told him, as he pulled a card out of a pocket and pressed it against his forehead. "Konoka-san? Oh, thank God you're still up. Sorry, but I have a student seriously hurt here, and --"

  
Dimly, as he struggled against unconsciousness, Shirou wondered why he was calling on a girl (that had to be a girl's name, and that had to be one of those Pactio cards his father had taught him about) instead of an ambulance, or the local medical center. Through the growing haze in his eyes, he also could see Illya, wearing only a bedsheet tightly pressed against her body, storming into what remained of the workshop, followed by Sella and Leysritt, and screaming demands for explanations he barely could understand at all. then she saw him, and shrieked, dropping the sheet as she ran past a blushing Negi to hug her brother, and she felt so warm and nice against him as he slumped further into tired, aching slumber.

  
Explaining all of this to Dad and Mom was going to be murder.

 

* * *

 

When Shirou woke up, he was in his bed, and the first thing he found himself thinking was a wish that no one would notice the semen spots on the floor from when he had fucked Illya. The second thing to come to his mind was he was surrounded by a lot of people: Illya, Sella, Leysritt, Negi-sensei with a white weasel or mink on his right shoulder, a girl with glasses and a really bad case of acne, a shorter girl with glasses and a lab coat, a red-haired girl with mismatched eyes and bells in her hair, a very cute girl with long black hair, and finally, a tall and gorgeous woman with blond hair and eyes identical to those of Bells Girl.

  
Oh, and that strange Archer man was there too, standing in a corner, apart from everyone, looking at the floor in disgust and apparently barely restraining himself from jumping on Shirou and killing him. You could tell that's what he was thinking by the way his folded arms mostly seemed to be holding each other back.

  
"Onii-chan!" Illya glomped onto Shirou, not letting him go for what seemed an eternity. "Oh, thank God and Konoe-sama here you're okay!"

  
Shirou blinked. He felt, as a matter of fact, well rested and healthy. His wounds didn't hurt anymore, and after a quick glance at his arm, the bleeding gash wasn't even there at all now. He considered the palatable option of the entire night so far, as he remembered it, being no more than a dream, but that didn't explain Archer's continued presence. "What, what happened?" he asked.

  
"We were hoping you could tell us, Emiya-san," the boy teacher replied. "Don't worry about yourself; your wounds have been fully healed, and I doubt that woman will return anytime soon. Still, we need to know why were you in that situation to start with."

  
"I don't know either," Shirou confessed as he sat up. "Why are you guys here? I mean, not that I don't like having visits, but --"

  
"Negi called us," the girl with the bells said bluntly. "It's a long, long story, but ... let's just say it's thanks to Konoka here you're still alive," she added while patting the back of the black haired girl, who smiled and bowed. "And I'm sort of her secondary bodyguard, so I had to come with her."

  
"Secondary?" Shirou babbled. "Ah, sorry. We haven't ever been introduced, have we? I'm Emiya Shirou, and this is my sister Illyasviel, and these are Sella and Leysritt, our --"

  
"We already know that!" Bells Girl waved a hand. "I'm Kagurazaka Asuna and this is Konoe Konoka, and these are Hasegawa Chisame and Hakase Satomi, and we're Negi's students. The lady is his mother, Arika Springfield."

  
"Oh ... yes. Pleased to meet you," Shirou finally recognized the Hasegawa girl as the one he had seen holding hands with Negi-sensei the night before. "I'm sorry I didn't have the time to cook anything for you, but ..."

  
"Thank you, but we aren't hungry," Negi said. "Don't you even know the name of that woman? Archer-san here isn't being very cooperative."

  
"She introduced herself as 'Servant Ruler'," Shirou reminisced. "But Servant to whom, I don't know, or why she came after me. Sorry I can't be more helpful."

  
The gorgeous lady spoke next. "Emiya-san. Let us be honest with one another. Otherwise, we'll never get anywhere. I know your parents, and I know they must have told you and your domestic help about magic. So let us not stall this, before innocents are hurt. This is a matter related to magical affairs, and you know at least that much. Do you know anything at all about Holy Grail Wars?"

  
Illya cringed and chomped at her lower lip, as if the question had stung her personally, and Chisame could swear she noticed the two maids flinching for the briefest moment, as well. The taller boy, on the other hand, just asked in turn. "Do you know my parents? From where?"

  
"Did they never tell you about me?" Arika asked. "I feel somewhat offended, but then again, hiding my existence seems to be a standard measure between those who knew me to protect their children. I cannot believe Konoemon had the ... courage to hide the fact you lived here from me, however."

  
Konoka seemed mildly offended by the remark. "What are you trying to say, Arika-sama?"

  
To interrupt them before a conflict could be reached, Negi loudly cleared his throat. "Please forgive me for this, Emiya-san."

  
"For what?" asked Shirou, and then he felt Negi's hands on his temples. He saw the child's face tensing in concentration, and then going pale, and he had a disturbing realization of what was happening.

  
His mind was being read.

  
The first thought that passed through Shirou's consciousness after that realization was, _Don't think of Illya, don't think of Illya! Don't-- shit_.

  
Negi pulled his hands back, looked deeply disturbed, and for a moment seemed about to explode on Shirou. But then, he gave his mother a quick backwards glance, blushed, and reconsidered his attitude before stammering, "W-W-Well, other than ... private matters that don't concern us ... I saw you have only a vague, general knowledge of what the Holy Grail Wars were."

  
"Are, from the looks of things," Arika corrected him.

  
"Hey!" Illya shrieked. "Are you telling us you distrusted Onii-chan enough to read his mind after he answered directly?!"

  
Negi scratched the back of his mind. "Ah, sorry. For some reason, reading Archer-san's mind didn't seem to work, so ..."

  
Archer smiled and tapped on his skull with a finger. "Partial amnesia. No doubt a result of being summoned incorrectly by a hack of a failed Magus."

  
"Don't you dare speak ill of my Onii-chan, you big _Devil May Cry_ reject!" Illya pouted furiously.

  
"But I would have thought that to be completely impossible," Satomi said. "All the records I have been able to find show the last Holy Grail War happened during the late thirties, and more than seventy years have passed ever since. The Great Grail of Fuyuki was supposed to be destroyed in that conflict, and if it hadn't been, Japan would have had another Grail War more than ten years ago. So, unless a new Great Grail has been somehow forged, which would have caused several ripples and rumors through the magical community, I don't see how a new Grail War could be under way ..."

  
Everyone else in the room stared at her.

  
"How the hell do you know all of that?" Chisame asked her. "No, better question, what the hell are you guys talking about?"

  
"Oh, you don't get to create an artificial lifeform based on energies most deem 'magical' without researching deeply about the world of the so-called 'supernatural'. You should be well aware of that by now, Chisame!" her roommate lectured.

  
"An artificial what?!" Shirou gasped.

  
"It's more common than you think, Shirou-san," Sella piped in quietly.

  
"To sum it up as best as I can, Chisame," Arika said calmly, "the Holy Grail Wars were battles between Magi, called Masters, controlling Servants, powerful entities plucked from diverse points in history. They fought each other for possession of the Great Grail, a magical artifact shaped like a cup, which was supposed to grant any wish it could be posed to it. This gentleman --" She gestured towards Archer. "-- claims to be a Servant from the Archer Class. However, every Grail War ended in wholesale death and destruction, without anyone ever being able to claim the Grail for themselves, until it was destroyed in the great fires that left the Fuyuki area unhabitable to this day. It has become yet another great unmentionable topic that everyone still knows about regardless in the magical community."

  
"Sweet," Asuna grunted.

  
"Do Mages and Magi never stop having awful ideas?" Chisame groaned. "Did we really need this crap right after the whole fiasco at Mundus Magicus?"

  
Konoka blinked. "Okay. Um. It seems to be a very big deal, so we should just call Grandpa immediately and report this to him, so the Associations can figure out how to deal with it."

  
Archer spoke again. "You want to take this to the Church. Generally, the Catholic Church and its armed branches are the ones supposed to control the Grail Wars from the human side, acting as a 'neutral' third party." The biting irony in those words didn't escape even Shirou.

  
"That is my understanding, as well," Arika nodded. "Very well, let us head to the Magdalene Church without further delays. Emiya-san, you already can walk without any inconveniences, so you and Archer must present a report there. Negi and I will be going with you."

  
"I'm going, too!" Illya said.

  
"If you wish so," Arika shrugged. "I would not attempt to dissuade the daughter of the Magus Killer."

  
"The daughter of what now?" asked Shirou.

  
Negi sighed. "Chisame, please come with us, will you? The rest of you girls please stay here and call me immediately if that 'Ruler' returns. Konoka, I agree that you would do well to call your grandfather."

  
"I will, Negi-kun!" she nodded, already fishing for her cellphone in her handbag. "He's a heavy sleeper, though. This might take a while."

  
The ermine, meanwhile, sniffed on the air for a moment, looked down, and noticed the small dry stains on the floor. His whiskers twitched, and he turned his head around to look at Shirou with a wide, devilish little grin.

  
Shirou took it like a brick thrown at his stomach.

* * *

  
"Are you ready?" Sister Shakti asked her.

  
The slim girl nodded sparsely, tightening the veil of her habit around her head.

  
"Remember," her dark skinned, blue eyed superior warned her and the tiny, tanned Cocone Fatima Rosa, as the three of them marched for the main gate of the Mahora Mary Magdalene Church, a majestic building dating from the twenties. "This is a matter of utmost importance. If Negi-sensei is to believed, and he is not one to exaggerate unlike some other people I could mention, we might have a Holy Grail War waiting in the wings. That could even usher in the end of the world as we know it."

  
"I'm getting used to that," Misora replied with calculated easiness, under which she trembled.

  
"Do not get cocky when there are lives in risk," the closest thing she had to a mother told her. "Negi-sensei wouldn't like that, either."

  
"No, Sister."

  
"I'm telling you this for your own sake," the woman said, in the same rigid tone. And then, much to Misora's surprise, she felt a hand on her own, squeezing softly despite the sister's lack of expression. "Misora, I wish for the success of your working relationship with him."

  
"My ... working relationship. Right," she gulped. "Thank you, Sister Shakti."

  
Subtly, the hand was pulled back. "Helping you is my sworn duty, child. Just make sure to help yourself, as well."

  
Misora nodded in wide eyed silence, as Cocone lowered her face just a tad.

  
Sister Shakti went to the door and opened it. Sure enough, there they were. A tall man with a dark face wearing a red hood and cape over his long jacket. Chisame, as stiff-looking as ever. Arika-sama, as impressive, not to mention as scary, of a vision as usual. A not bad looking at all red-haired boy with an albino brat sitting on his shoulders. And Negi, Misora's Magister Magi, the only boy who had ever caught her attention, the only person who could pull the bravery out of her. As long as it was for his sake.

  
"Good evening, Misora-chan, Cocone-chan, Sister Shakti," he respectfully greeted. "Sorry to call you and bring you ... these matters this late, but we're sure this can't wait long."

  
"Ah, yeah, sure thing. Good evening, everyone," Misora said lamely.

  
"Indeed. An affair of this magnitude should never be left unattended for long," Shakti looked the hooded stranger in the eye, finding his gaze to be even colder as hers. "Please come in. The rest of the Church has been informed, and they wait for us inside."

  
"With pleasure," the man smiled enigmatically, and stepped inside, soon to be followed by everyone else.

  
Sister Shakti closed the door behind them.

  
Despite being near midnight now, the night was just starting. And it only would get much longer from there.

 

* * *

  
**Next** : Misora.

 


	5. Period Four: Misora

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

 _Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for writing most of this chapter's first lemon scene.

 

I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

    

 

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period Four: Misora.**   

* * *

_Five Years Ago:_  
  
It wasn't like Uncle Takashi didn't want to raise Misora. But, as a father who had just lost his wife himself, and now had to look after three children of his own, he could not also be accountable for his recently deceased brother's daughter, economically or emotionally.  
  
So, it was with mild relief that he received the news that one Sister Shakti from Mahora, a close college friend of Misora's mother Mikan, was willing to look after the child. Misora was still too affected by the news to object, and docilely went with the dark skinned blonde when she arrived for her. Takashi and his three children, Kyosuke, Manami and Kurumi, were sad to see her go, but they had no alternatives, really.  
  
Or at least, so Takashi had convinced himself.  
  
He had learned worrying things after studying the mysterious causes behind his brother's accident. It seemed that, recently, several of his and Mikan's friends had suffered similar fates. The Izumis had been killed in a car collision with the eldest heir of the prestigious Tomoe family and his wife and daughter. The children of both couples had survived the crash, but the Izumi girl had been horribly scarred and shipped off to live with her uncle and cousin. Another family, the Ayases, had fallen to a strange illness contracted in a trip to the tropics, leaving their sole child under her grandfather's care. Even the powerful Yukihiro family, for whom Takashi's brother had worked for years, had almost been killed in a hit-and-run, and the wife of Naba Tetsuo, a close friend (or at least financial ally) of the Yukihiros, had fallen victim to a cancer that struck her down quickly, despite all of her husband's efforts and resources. And Shakti herself had told Kasuga that one Akashi Yuka, whose husband had collaborated with his brother for research on a book, had been brutally murdered not too long ago.  
  
Shakti had promised the child would be far safer under her care, and that Takashi's children would remain safe as well as long as Misora was kept far from them. She refused to offer further explanations, but Takashi knew it had to do with the world of secrets and enigmas in which his brother had dabbled. Takashi himself had married a woman with abnormal capacities, although he wasn't sure if those were the result of a genetic mutation or ... something else. His children had all inherited their mother's traits, but so far, and for the next five years, no one had or would target them.  
  
Kasuga Takashi did all he could to ensure his remaining family's safety.  
  
But often, he wished he could have done more.

* * *

 

_Mahora's Church of Mary Magdalene, Basement, Now_ :  
  
Kasuga Misora sat between Negi and Cocone. Negi, in turn, sat between Misora and his mother, with Chisame on Arika's other side. All of them were lined up behind Emiya Shirou, on whose lap Illya sat, and Archer had once again gone to stand in the corner with a bored expression on his face. They all faced the assembled Church Council of Mahora, a wide selection of elite agents for different branches of the Vatican. None of them fitting the actual standard requirements of the average priest or nun.  
  
"I must still object, no offense intended, to the presence of Negi-sensei and his companions here," objected Sister Ciel from France, an attractive young woman with dark blue hair cropped short and round glasses almost identical to Chisame's. "While we thank you for your assistance and prompt delivery of this irregularity, Negi-sensei, it is still a matter which should be exclusively dealt with by the Church and the Masters."  
  
"We still aren't sure whether this is a true Grail War or an anomaly that should be stopped no matter what before it develops, Sister," said Shakti, with an air of finality. "As someone with demonstrated experience in averting world spanning crises in a very short period, I would say Negi-sensei's contributions here might be priceless. And if he is worthwhile enough to stand witness here, so are his companions."  
  
"I thank you for the vote of confidence, Sister," Negi said sincerely, with a small blush. It was a far cry from Shakti's numerous reservations about him before Mahorafest.  
  
"I concur," Father Garterbelt, a hulking Afro-American with all the air of a blaxploitation movie star stuck in a white habit, nodded, and even his nod conveyed a quiet air of massive power. He gestured with his hands, as large as Rakan's, whose backs were covered by a thick layer of black hair. "And even if this shit is really a Grail War, we'll need all the expertise we can obtain just to deal with it. We haven't raised Monitors for this kinda crap in decades! As I understand, Kirei's dad was the last one."  
  
The smaller, but by no means small, man with dark hair and dead eyes sitting at his right nodded, the pale girl with clear hair and bandaged hands at his other side staring at him with the same vacant empty look. "Yes, my father waited all of his life for another Grail War to manifest itself, even after what happened at Fuyuki. They called him crazy, but they still allowed him to take the preparation course for a Watcher. However, the War never came to fruition in his lifetime. While he was never officially authorized to name a successor, he still taught me all he knew, in the fear that some day, events of this nature would come to pass."  
  
 _Anything_ , he thought, inwardly gnawing in a despair that never surfaced in his cold demeanor, _to gain a sense of purpose at last. Maybe this is what my life needs. Maybe this is why I was born._  
  
Sister Eda, a stunning blond bombshell from America, even in her holy clothes, sat cross legged, smoking a cigarette, legs crossed. Chisame thought she looked like a skank in bad nun cosplay, and the dark glasses she wore, more fitting a Yakuza soldier than a member of a holy organization, only reinforced that image. "Seriously? Well, that's a relief to know. You can handle this then, can't you?"  
  
Kotomine Kirei nodded without a second thought. "Of course. I would be willing to do so, but we are still going to need an official authorization first. My father had many enemies within the ranks, and several have passed their hatred to me."  
  
Shirou blinked. "Ahhh ... sorry if this sounds rude, but this is hardly what I expected from a Council like this ..."  
  
A very strange looking thin man in black, with a long and narrow pointy tail snaking around his legs, and dark skin covered by a light amount of fur, smiled far more benevolently than his general appearance conveyed, and when he spoke, his voice, with a deep Germanic accent, was still just as gentle. Misora had introduced him to Chisame before, as Father Kurt Wagner, but this was the first time she saw him without the artificial image inducer that disguised his true looks. It was quite unsettling, in a primal sense. "Our apologies, Emiya-san. We hope you'll excuse us, but we cannot handle these sorts of events the way a normal arm of the Church would manage their own subject matters. There are complex, often difficult, policies and complications involved in dealing with the security of the magical and mundane worlds."  
  
"And mutant," commented the short, plump old nun next to Eda, who had both a wide, amused smile, and a black cloth patch where her right eye should have been.  
  
"Certainly," Father Wagner nodded without missing a beat. "Regardless, I will do all I can to get Doctor Strange's support. If he speaks on the mages' behalf, I don't doubt we'll get a confirmation to put good Father Kirei here in the position where we need him."  
  
Negi almost choked in his saliva. "Doctor Stephen Strange, the Sorcerer Supreme? Do you really know him?!"  
  
"Well, not exactly," Father Wagner said sheepishly, "But my old mentor, Professor Charles Xavier from New York, is a frequent collaborator of his. I trust it shouldn't be a problem."  
  
"Sorcerer Supreme?" Shirou echoed weakly.  
  
Negi nodded, going all starry eyed. "The most powerful of all sorcerers and mages on Earth. He has mastered every known branch of magic. To put it in perspective, it has been told he could even destroy Master Evangeline with a single spell."  
  
"Who is Master Evangeline?" asked Shirou, before remembering a name from the stories his father had told him, of a dreaded legend between the mages. "Wait ... you don't mean ..."  
  
"He does," Chisame confirmed with a nod.  
  
Shirou *and* Illya gasped loudly and sank down in their seat, looking as if the air had been blown out of them.  
  
Another nun, a beautiful young woman with a gentle, milky white face, smiled at Archer. "Well, I suppose that leaves you as the next item to be dealt with in this reunion, Archer-sama."  
  
"If you say so," the Servant shrugged. Then he looked at her suspiciously. He thought he remembered this woman from somewhere else, but definitely not from Fuyuki or Mahora. Then he fished the memory out from his garbled remembrances, and what he recalled made him almost as uneasy as being face to face with Kotomine.  
  
Sessyoin Kiara from the Moon Cell.  
  
Things just kept getting worse and worse. "There isn't a lot to say about me, actually," Archer said smoothly, the better to navigate through the situation. "Even if I didn't have this partial amnesia caused by a third rate summoner's inadequate invocation --" He smirked, making Shirou sure he repeated that statement only for his own enjoyment. "-- I wouldn't be obliged to reveal my true identity to my Master, much less to strangers. Church or not, you don't have the authority to force information out of me."  
  
A young nun with a cute rounded face and a sweet, shy voice looked at Father Kirei with concern. Her name was Sanada Yukariko, one of Misora's favorite superiors since she never delegated her responsibilities to her, unlike pretty much everyone else in the meeting room. "Is that true?" she asked him.  
  
Kirei nodded. "We are to be arbiters, and that means impartiality. Knowledge of the Servants and Masters' weaknesses might bring on the temptation to take sides, to involve ourselves." There was a long pause. "And I'm sure no one here should want that."  
  
"The presence of the word 'should' in that sentence makes me somewhat nervous," Shirou confessed.  
  
"I concur," Illya nodded.  
  
"Thirded," Chisame agreed.  
  
"Okay, even if we allow for the boy teacher, isn't anyone else just a bit bothered by the presence of the other child? Anyone?" Sister Ciel said in a jaded tone, looking at Illya, who just stuck her tongue out at her. After several moments of being ignored, Ciel dropped her head. "I should have stayed at the bakery."  
  
"Regardless, Emiya-san," Kirei was smoothly telling the red-haired boy now, "You are aware of what it takes to become the ultimate victor in a Grail War, aren't you?"  
  
"Umm, yeah, I think it's been said you have to beat all other Servants, right?" Shirou asked in turn. "And then, you get to ask any wish you can imagine from the Holy Grail." Almost immediately, golden dreams of being a Hero of Justice and shaking hands with Superman-sama flooded into his mind. Then those dreams were shattered when Illya in a white negligee and nothing else showed up between him and Superman-sama, speaking in Archer's voice.  
  
"We will have to KILL all other Servants, you idealistic fool," Illya-with-Archer's voice said, much to Shirou's horror.  
  
Snapping out of his daydream, he spun to stare at his Servant, as horrified about the news as Negi, Yukariko and Misora were. "Wh-what do you mean?!"  
  
Archer scowled in an annoyed way. "We'll have to kill them. Make them bite the dust. Leave them six feet under. Kick them out of the land of the living. Send them to a farm in the countryside, where they can romp and play in the fields. Do you understand now?"  
  
"But, but that's horrible!" Shirou gasped. Especially the way he was suggesting that his dog had not, in fact, been sent to live on a farm ...  
  
"Preposterous! There must be another way!" Negi added.  
  
"That's dangerous!" Misora shuddered.  
  
"Scary!" cringed a girl who had remained silent until then, the newest member of the congregation, trainee Sara Adiemus. She was a year older than Misora, but since she was still her junior in the church, and she was pretty much a doormat to all her superiors, Misora could get away with dumping several of her own chores on her. So naturally, she was another of Kasuga's favorites.  
  
"I'm just telling it like it is," Archer nonchalantly replied. "Of course, if you are too afraid to fight, you always could relish your Command Seals over to a more competent and courageous Master. I think that girl should suffice," he added,, with a slight nod in Cocone's direction. Misora quickly moved in between them, making Archer chuckle softly. "It's only a joke, Miss. And here I thought you looked like the type who could appreciate a good joke or prank."  
  
"What?" Misora babbled, her eyebrows going up in a funny way.  
  
"This is no joking matter!" Shakti slammed both hands on the meeting table. "Archer-san, it's not about courage! It's about the innocent lives who could get caught in the line of fire! If you want to massacre each other, you at least should do it far from an academy where children are taught!"  
  
"I'm sorry," Archer said, sounding dry but sincere, "But it's not like any of us Servants can choose the battlefield the Grail itself decided for. As for protecting the innocents, well, that's where you, as the organizers, come in. It's your duty to make sure no outsiders get involved or hurt, although I can see you aren't doing a stellar job at the former." His gaze lazily wandered over Negi and his companions. "But if it makes you feel any better, I swear I never would try to fight where innocents could be injured, as long as I can avoid it."  
  
"As long as you can!" Shakti huffed.  
  
"Isn't that the best any of us can do?" the pale girl sitting next to Kotomine mused.  
  
"Question," Chisame half-heartedly raised a hand as Negi fumed in place, outraged and livid at the promise of wanton and senseless carnage in his beloved school grounds, his to protect along his students. "What are those Command Seals Archer-san here mentioned?"  
  
Kirei grabbed Shirou's hand and rather roughly, though without any obvious enjoyment, pulled it up, so everyone could see the markings on his skin. "Do you see this bizarre design scarring Emiya-san's flesh? It is the cursed mark of the Master, the three Command Seals granting them absolute power over their Servants. Normally, it's in the Servants' best interest to obey their Master's orders, but they are not under the explicit obligation to do so, unless one of these Seals are activated. When that happens, the Servant has no choice to follow the Master's instructions, no matter how unreasonable or even impossible they may be. Even if the Master asks for the Servant to commit suicide, the Servant would have to comply."  
  
"Huh. Sounds quite useful," Chisame said. "Can I get something like that for use on unruly children who don't listen to their guardians?"  
  
"Chisame!" Negi complained.  
  
"If such a thing ever existed to be used on ordinary humans, don't you think I would have applied it on Nagi?" Arika mused distantly.  
  
Kotomine actually smiled, apparently finding something deeply amusing in that statement. But he continued focused on the matter at hand, if you'll pardon the pun, since he was still holding Shirou's hand up, you see, and ... anyway. "However, should the Master exhaust all three Seals, he or she will have lost a key tool in their War strategy. Servants have been known to betray their Masters, should other Masters offer them hopes of greater chances for success."  
  
Everyone looked at Archer.  
  
"I find myself feeling a shocking lack of trust in me." The Servant rolled his eyes a little. "Would this be a bad moment to mention you are simply terrible and awful hosts, too? Not even a snack for the shaken, rattled, poor, confused youngsters who show up at the doors of God's house looking for comfort and guidance. Don't mind me, a cynical traveler of a doomed path, but aren't you humane enough to at least give this poor child a glass of milk?" he asked, patting the head of a fiercely scowling Illya.  
  
"Remove your hand from my head or I'm going to remove it from your arm," Illya growled.  
  
Arika smiled vaguely. "Yes, I do believe the youngest of us should be allowed a respite from these grim exchanges. You look overstrained, Negi. Perhaps you would benefit from taking a walk around the church for the next hour or so."  
  
"But Mother, I --!" her son began.  
  
"Negi, please," his mother insisted. "It will do you well. And besides, there are some other issues I would wish to discuss privately with Sister Shakti. Subjects that should be treated between women."  
  
"There are?" Shakti looked mildly perplexed.  
  
"Indeed, there are," Arika nodded. "As for you, Chisame --"  
  
"Before anything else, I have to ask --" Chisame looked reluctant and ashamed for a few moments before asking, sotto voce, "-- where's your bathroom?"  
  
Shakti blinked, then looked at Adiemus. "Sister Sara, please show Hasegawa-san the way to our restrooms."  
  
"Ah! Y-Yes, of course, Sister Shakti!"  
  
All the while, Sister Kiara sat back with a faintly bemused and pleased faraway look in her eyes.  
  
Her heart was beating so fast...

* * *

  


Meanwhile, in the guest room of the Emiya residence, Konoe Konoka stirred into consciousness, smacking her lips together sleepily. She lifted her head up from her lying position to see that she was next to Satomi, sharing the bed with her as the other girl groped her and moaned for Sakurako, Negi AND Chisame in her dreams. Oh. Well, that explained why she had been having that dream about Setchan.  
  
Well, it explained it this time, at least.  
  
With the faintest amount of regret, Konoka disentangled herself from Hakase's shockingly strong grip and sat up to look at Asuna, who stood with her back to them, staring out the window, into the Mahora campus bathed in darkness.  
  
"Asuna, what's bothering you?"  
  
"Nothing," Asuna said softly. Out of all people, she only was that soft regularly to Takahata, Konoka, the Headmaster and Setsuna. While she was mostly nice to everyone, and it took enemies or children to trigger her 'Tsun' tendencies, Asuna tended to play the feisty, tough tomboy to all but that small cirlce. Konoka guessed that meant they were fortunate enough to know the true Asuna. (Of course, since she was a follower of the 'You never can fully understand another person' school of thought, it was only a best guess.) But even with them, the girl could be almost unbearably stubborn about baring her heart about matters she considered shameful or troublesome. Of which there was never a shortage.  
  
When such situations arose, Konoka had learned to be patient. With that in mind, she got out of bed and walked across the spartanly decorated bedroom to stand by her roommate, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Asuna, it's okay. We both know you'd never waste a chance for sleep before your morning route, so you don't have to pretend with me. You can be open with me. Hakase-san won't wake up. Negi-kun has told me she's a very deep sleeper."  
  
Asuna grunted. "He should know, that little perv. Chisame and the Prof have spoiled him too much. If it ... had fallen on me, to ... to raise him ..."  
  
Of course, there had to be some limits to patience, or else you'd never get anything done, particularly with someone like Asuna-chan. So Konoka tried to be gentle but firm about pushing forward with the subject. "Is this about Arika-sama and Negi-kun again? If it bothers you so much, why don't you just ask them?"  
  
Asuna pouted. "Why -- why should I? Why can't they just tell me, instead? I can tell they're hiding something big from me! Who do they take me for?"  
  
"That's right," Konoka had to nod. "Negi-kun is a terrible liar, isn't he? If even Asuna-chan notices it --"  
  
"Konoka!"  
  
"Sorry, sorry!" Konoka giggled, rubbing the spot on her arm where Asuna had just landed a friendly mock punch. Later, she was going to have to tell her to hold herself back with those from now on. Training was making her strong enough to hurt her without even trying. "But my point still stands, Asuna-chan. If they aren't open with you, for one reason or another, you should take the first step and see what's up with that. Or are you shy about it? I could ask them for you, as you know."  
  
Asuna took a hand to her own chest. "Shy?! Me?! Oh, please, Konoka! It's just, it's just a matter of pride, you know! And pride's pretty much the only thing I have left. I know I must be related to them, somehow. She and I look too alike, and everyone back there called me a Princess, but ... it's so frustrating! No one will tell me! Not only them, but not even Takahata-sensei, or your grandfather! When I finally got the courage up to ask Takahata-sensei, he not only pretended to not know what I was talking about, but he gave me a lame excuse and ran off! Okay, strolled off, but he was strolling pretty dang fast! Why won't he stop treating me like a child?!"  
  
"I'm sure they must have a good reason."  
  
"Fine, then I have a damn good reason to stop asking about it, too! What's the point, if they'll just rebuke me anyway?! It's okay! You're the only family I need!"  
  
And she made a single angry sob.  
  
"Asuna-chan," Konoka whispered warily. "It couldn't possibly be that you're afraid of asking, right?"  
  
"Don't be silly. Kagurazaka Asuna isn't afraid of anything! Isn't that obvious enough from all the crap I went through in Mundus Magicus?"  
  
"You aren't talking like yourself; you stole that bombastic bravado that isn't like you at all from Paru. With a dash or two of Takane-sempai, admittedly. Still, that tells me that yes, sorry, but you're afraid." And she hugged her from behind. "Which you don't need to be. Not as long as I'm behind you, to support you no matter what."  
  
"Why, why would I be afraid?" Asuna insisted. "Afraid of being related to a super cool warrior princess? After being an orphan, that'd be anyone's dream come true, even if that princess is as stuck-up and weird as Arika-sama!"  
  
"Afraid of being related to Negi-kun, then?" Konoka asked in her lowest voice.  
  
Asuna closed her eyes. "That's ... That's even dumber. It's not like I ever liked that brat. He'd be the perfect annoying little brother, what else could he ever be for me? Not like I ever could get to like him like a real man, like ... Takahata-sensei ..."  
  
"Hmmmm."  
  
"Seriously, so what if he's not so unreliable now? It doesn't matter how strong he's become, or how many girls he has after him! He's still a brat! And ..." Her hands clutched on the frame of the window. "... I don't, I can't like brats like him. At all."  
  
Konoka kept hugging her.  
  
Asuna cried in silence, never daring to turn around and show her tearful face.  


* * *

  
  
_The Church_ :  
  
Negi Springfield had been wandering around the building for more than half a hour now, pacing impatiently, already running complex machinations and scenarios in his head, at a nearly feverish speed. His first instinct on recognizing a potential catastrophic situation was to gather all the information he had about it in his mind and start designing ways to cope with it. And backup ways, in case the first ways failed. He hated feeling impotent in the face of upcoming chaos, and even if the overall impression he got from the meeting was that he wasn't supposed to take an active part in that Grail War, he just could not stand by, idly trusting others to keep his Academy and pupils safe and sound. Especially not someone as clearly inexpert as Emiya-san, even if he seemed well intentioned.  
  
Maybe he should find a way to summon a Servant of his own, if that was the only way he could step into the conflict. Then again, the moral implications of that made him deeply wary, and more than a bit scared. He wouldn't have feared if it had been a matter of his exclusive physical integrity, but if gaining a Servant meant killing the rest of the Servants, that was a responsibility he wasn't willing to take, or let others take for that matter. Still, so far, he could see no possible way to stop the war without fighting in it. He ...  
  
He shook his head to himself. No. What was he doing? Why was he thinking of Mahora and its students that way? Chisame had warned him about it, about thinking of himself as an overbearing guardian. Was not that, all in all, practically the same as to consider himself their master? At some point, the borders between devoting oneself obsessively to others and thinking of oneself as their sole protector, the only one who knew better, blurred into nothingness. Perhaps, that was the way his grandfather had started his dark trip into tyranny. Still, didn't it beat the alternative of being careless and negligent? Surely, if he had been given power, it was so he could make full use of it for others' sake. His father had ultimately failed at creating a better world for his family, but it was his duty to be better than --  
  
NO! That was even worse! He was thinking of proving himself superior to Father, when he possibly couldn't ever be, and shouldn't try to, to better honor him. It was bad enough he already taken his father's woman as his ...  
  
Negi closed his eyes and halted his steps, feeling on the verge of tears. How could he possibly save others when he couldn't even know what to do with his own life?  
  
Then he heard a soft, yet steady breathing coming from the end of that dark hall. Looking that way, he saw the confessional where he had purged his soul after Mahorafest. It seemed there was someone inside.  
  
That was it. He needed to vent his concerns, to look for enlightenment. Surely, this to be a sign from Heavens. Thanking God above in his heart, Negi began walking again, moving towards the confessional.  
  
"Excuse me ... Father?" he shyly asked. "Are, are you --?"

* * *

 

It had worked. It took a lot of effort from Misora to stop herself from crowing to Cocone about it. When the adults had taken Emiya-sempai aside to go further into dark discussions on the grim nature of a Grail War, Misora, knowing well how Negi reacted to most large scale threats (angsting and moping about before rising up to the challenge and kicking major ass) decided she had to act quickly while the angst stage lasted. Being in the church, it stood to reason he would, perhaps unconsciously, search for the same priest who had helped him through his doubts before. And since, luck of lucks, good old Father Tamanaka was out of town at the time, and Sister Shakti had her hands full with Emiya-sempai and Arika-sama, she could play the role again without fearing any retaliation! Or so she hoped, at least.  
  
Now, sitting inside of the confession box with Cocone tightly secured against her lap, Misora grinned and spoke through her voice faking device. (She would have to thank Sister Eda again for retrieving it from Sister Shakti's confiscated articles for her.) "Yes, it's me, young man. Does this surprise you? Um, I am always available for the needs of those hungry for illumination. Twenty four hours at day, like a McRonald's."  
  
Cocone facepalmed quietly at the metaphor, but Negi blinked a few times before accepting it innocently. "Oh! Oh, sure, I see. Thank you. It's good to know you are so devoted, even though you should rest more, since we shouldn't strain ourselves past the limits of what's good for us." As Misora and Cocone sweatdropped at the massive unthinking hypocrisy of such statement coming from him of all people, he continued. "R-Regardless, please f-forgive me, Father, for I have sinned greatly."  
  
"Oh, young Negi, don't be so harsh on yourself," Misora said. "Misora-chan has told me, in loving detail, about your great many exploits and acts of greatness, always with her at your side, both protecting each other like a real Battle Couple! Together, you were invincible for the cause of good! So a hero such as yourself couldn't possibly be a sinner!"  
  
"B-B-But I am!" he insisted. "I have committed a gross sin against nature, and have failed the teachings I was given! I have become a demon, Father, a monster!"  
  
"My son," Misora sagely said. "Even if your physical nature is now that of a supernatural beast, your heart still beats like that of a brave, chivalrous boy. You took that path to sacrifice yourself for others, for love and compassion. That is as far from a sin as anyone can get."  
  
The child rubbed his nose and sniffled. "Thank you. But, actually, I think I have come to grips with that. No, Father, my concern, my sin, is ... something far bigger and deeper."  
  
Now that alarmed Misora, and even Cocone shuffled around in abrupt discomfort. "Wh-what is it, my son?" Kasuga asked, gasping aloud.  
  
Negi shifted in place, visibly antsy, before shyly saying, "I ... I am not sure I can talk about that yet. Maybe, maybe I should come back another day to discuss it then, since right now I don't think I can physically --"  
  
"Oh hell no, now you won't--!" Misora screamed, startling him out of his wits, before coughing and quickly regaining her composure. "I, I mean, why don't you unload that burden from you right now? It will cleanse your soul, and it's, um, never too early to do so, but sometimes it can be too late! I mean, what if we're run over by an eighteen-wheeler before we confess our sins and purify our faults? What then, huh? Huh?!"  
  
He swallowed a hard knot and nodded. "Y-You're right. My God. How can I be so cowardly about this? Well, you see, um, the thing is, don't think this is my mother's fault, because it's all mine, I mean, I could have refused at any point, but I didn't choose to. And her intentions were the best, it's just she comes from a very different culture, and she's suffered all through her life, and she loves me a lot. Which means, I'm trying to say, it's all my responsibility, because I'm a man, oh dear, now I'm being sexist too, aren't I? Well, surely, as another man, you should understand, there are temptations, although, considering your calling, you've successfully defeated them, so I think I maybe should have come for your guidance far earlier, but it all happened so fast, and I never thought of this ... what should be my penance? It must be something terrible and stern so I can redeem myself, right? If there's any way at all I can be redeemed, that is. I'll accept anything you impose upon me, Father."  
  
Misora's eyes, once more, were solid black circles. She confessed, "I can't impose any punishment on you, since I have no freaking idea what you just said."  
  
Cocone, however, showed blatant signs of dawning understanding on her face, which was as close to displaying shock as she could manage. But for better or worse, Misora had even forgotten she was there at all.  
  
Negi sighed very deep and sadly, and then murmured something.  
  
"Say again, louder," Misora requested.  
  
Negi took an even longer and more troubled breath, and said, with extreme reluctance and embarrassment, "I'm afraid, afraid I've been intimate with my mother in a way no child ever should experience, and what's worse, I think she's with my child now, too."  
  
Misora's blood-curdling scream of terror and rage, mostly the former, was barely restrained by Cocone's small but strong hands suddenly clamping themselves around her mouth.  
  
"... Father?" Negi warily asked after several minutes of muffled sounds, including the noises of faint kicking, from the other side of the confessional, seriously fearing he had given the poor man a heart attack. "Are you ... are you feeling okay?"  
  
After several more moments of Misora being heavily restrained by Cocone and then having something whispered into her ear, the 3-A student managed to gather enough shaky composure to stutter, "Y-Yes. I, I mean, as well as I can feel after hearing ... something like that."  
  
"I'm so sorry," Negi said softly, right before noticing something. "Are you crying?"  
  
"No," Misora lied.  
  
"Ah. Do you see now? As I just said, I have done something abominable and despicable. Maybe I should just escape to the wilderness, and live apart from civilized humans. Or maybe ask Itoshiki-sensei for tips on how to kill yourself when you're an --"  
  
"N-NO!" Misora shouted, a split second before she realized she still couldn't hate him. "Suicide is an even worse sin! You'd go to hell, and that Graff Herrman monster might be waiting for you there!"  
  
He blinked. "Ah? How did you know about --?"  
  
"S-Servants of the One True God know everything!" Misora stuttered. "You're only a victim of the circumstances, because you're still a child, after all! It's your evil, wicked mother who should be punished! How could she?! I won't, that is, we won't forgive her! No matter what!"  
  
Negi gulped. "Wait, isn't Christianity oriented around the notions of forgiveness and mercy?"  
  
"The Lake of Fire! Gehenna! Gehenna!" Misora foamed at the mouth.  Cocone, hugging her midsection, was barely able to restrain her at all. "Damnation! Retribution! Holy punishment for the twisted! Someone get me the Iscariot Order!"  
  
Negi's skin crawled. "W-Wait a second, please! Maybe she has some share of guilt too, but I won't allow anyone to hurt my mother! Can't we discuss this rationally? Like I said, her culture is different, and --"  
  
"I've been to Mundus Magicus!" Misora growled. "I'm one hundred percent sure that fucking your sons is one of the greatest taboos there, too!"  
  
"Father! That's not language fitting a priest!"  
  
Misora shook a fist in circles. "Like hell I care! I don't care about anything anymore! I'm not a priest, I'm a woman in love!"  
  
"... bwuh?"  
  
"Yes, in love! There! I said it, you little ingrate! God, Chisame was right all along! All this time spent admiring you, thinking of how you were the greatest boy ever, and now, your only reaction when that ... that witch abuses you is trying to protect her! I was okay with it when you made friends with that little Sextum skank, but this is too much!"  
  
"You're in love with me?" Negi's eyes had shrunk down to diminutive dots. "Father, I am ... uh, honored, I suppose, but ... your vows of celibacy ... and besides, no offense, but I'm not -- wait, did you say a woman in love?"  
  
"Negi," the priest told him, in a jarringly eerie and quiet tone that had come out of nowhere. "You must tell this to everyone. Seal of the confession be damned up the ass with a spiky broomstick, I'll do it if you don't. That woman must be kept away from decent human society! How dare she seduce you like that! I'll tell the first person I come across! Even if that is --"  
  
"What is that racket?" Sister Shakti's voice asked from way down the hall, and Misora's heart froze in her chest. Then there were steps, and in a flash, Misora jumped out of the confessional, clamped a hand around a shocked Negi's mouth, jumped back in the other side, turned the lights off, and cuddled with him and Cocone in a corner, cowering in trembling fear, keeping herself and the others as low and silent as she could. Sister Shakti advanced closer, took a few looks around, and hummed, "How strange. I was sure I had heard something. Almost sounded like Father Tamanaka when he forgets taking his pills."  
  
"Probably only your imagination. Times of stress often take great tolls on our nerves. It happens to everyone," opined Princess Arika, who was walking close beside her. "Forget that. We have more important things to discuss now. About Negi, Asuna and Chisame."  
  
Shakti gave a dry annoyed grunt. "Are we far from the others enough for your comfort now, Hime-sama? I really don't understand why this calls for so much secrecy."  
  
After a brief, knowing glance at the confession box which made Negi and Misora shudder in panic, Arika smiled softly. How she knew, they couldn't guess, but they knew she knew, and they knew that was all that mattered. The former Queen said, "Actually, perhaps it would be for the best to talk in your private chambers? You will understand when we are there."  
  
"Oh, very well," Shakti humored her. "Let us go, then." And she guided her away, shaking her head to herself all the way.  
  
Negi waited until they were far out of hearing range before allowing himself a sigh. Then he said, "Misora-chan? Cocone-chan? Why are you here? Where's the Father? How --"  
  
Then he caught a glimpse of her face, marred by flowing tears, in the darkness, and the small device in her hand, and he understood. "O-Oh. Oh, I see. Misora-chan, I'm sorry you had to --"  
  
She hugged him as if to crush the life out of him, crying fiercely against her Magister. "Why? Why have you done this to me, Negi? Hell, to all of us? I just want to know, why?"  
  
"... I don't know..." he confessed. "Things just happened, too quickly, one after another, and then... I'm so sorry, Misora-chan, I'd never wanted to hurt you or any of the others, it's just --"  
  
He began sobbing as well, like a scared little child, and they cried together as Cocone sat aside, watching them in  complete, stony silence.  
  
It was fairly crowded and tight in there, but no one minded at the time.  
  
Just as Cocone was starting to think they had spent far too long crying, they pulled apart from each other, placing their backs against opposite walls, sobbing softly but running out of tears to leak and breath to spend. They rested for several moments, trembling randomly, until Negi found his voice again. And naturally, he had to pick the worst possible thing to ask at that moment. "Misora-chan, was that true?"  
  
"What, what do you mean?" she asked, rubbing her runny nose.  
  
"About that thing ... well, about your loving me," he shyly said. "I never imagined --"  
  
She blinked in such a way as to make Cocone back away as much as she could without leaving the confessional. "You ... never even suspected it? Damn it, Negi! I know you're ten, but you're supposed to be a genius! Are you really telling me you never got the hints? What did I have to do, be as straightforward as your mom? How many of us do you think carry torches for you?"  
  
"Carry ... torches? Oh! Oh, I think I get it. Sorry, but that kind of slang has never been my forte. L-let's see, there's ... Nodoka-san ..."  
  
"She outright confessed to you in Mahorafest, didn't she?" Misora stared at him. "That doesn't count! Never mind Honya anyway, she's a two-timer!"  
  
"A two-timer? Why?!"  
  
Misora rolled her eyes. "Please, Negi! Don't tell me you haven't noticed how she's interested in Kotaro-kun, too!"  
  
"And Ayase-san," Cocone observed quietly.  
  
Misora looked back at her and blinked. "With Yue? Really?!"  
  
Cocone lightly bopped her head. "You're as bad as him."  
  
"I don't get it. Why do you say that? And what makes you think Honya --?" her best friend babbled.  
  
"That's what I mean," Cocone whispered. "You criticize Sensei, but you're just as bad at picking up signs of any love not your own. Especially love between girls. You wouldn't even notice it if someone very close to you, someone you spend every day with, loved you very deeply."  
  
"I think I did get that one," Negi admitted, frankly perplexed.  
  
Cocone nodded, then told Misora, "See? If anything, you're even more clueless than he is." Short beat. "And that's no small feat."  
  
Negi's head hung low.  
  
"Whoa, whoa, slow down there, Junior," Kasuga asked. "What's with the use of more than one straight sentence all of a sudden? And why are you bringing those hypothetical comparisons into play? You can't accuse me of being clueless when you're making no sense!"  
  
Cocone gave her a small frown.  
  
Misora gasped. "Cocone-chan? W-What's gotten into you?"  
  
Cocone's frown became a pout that was out of character enough to make Misora afraid, much like Misora's own outburst had scared Negi. But what happened next scared them both even more, as the dark skinned girl leaned forward and lifted her head, so her face reached high enough to allow for contact of her lips with Misora's.  
  
At that point, the prankster sprinter became a salt statue.  
  
Well, at the very least, her lips were salty, Cocone thought. Maybe it was because of the leftover tears.  
  
"Oh dear," Negi gasped as Cocone kissed her roommate,who was literally too stunned to fight back, and whose legs cramped together awkwardly, her hands clawing for the wood walls. "Oh dear, this is not right at all, you should stop."  
  
Cocone pulled her mouth back and gave him an annoyed look before asking Misora, "Do you see now?"  
  
"GYAH!" Misora said. "Gah gha ga gah. Gha!"  
  
"I thought so," the smaller girl nodded. "So, now you realize you have done me a disservice as big by ignoring me as he did by ignoring you, don't you? Not to mention you have tricked him and others, twice now, into revealing their most intimate secrets to you for your convenience. You have sinned as well."  
  
"Wait a second there, you helped me both times!" Misora pointed out in a strangled tone.  
  
"So," Cocone continued calmly as if she hadn't been interrupted, "since the hand of holy justice is tired of waiting, I will impose your penance, as a qualified member of the Church."  
  
"Not only you're just as guilty, b-but we aren't actually qualified!" Misora cried.  
  
"Your penance," Cocone said blandly, taking her veil off, "will be to make up for your negligence to your long suffering friend by praying every night to your goddess, here." She pulled her skirt up, revealing her white cotton panties. With eyes as wide as flying saucers, Negi tried to hop for the booth's door, but Cocone tossed a leg between it and him, blocking his way. "That goes for you as well, Sensei. You have to make it up to Misora."  
  
Misora's eyes spiraled out of control, and her arms flailed around. "Ah? Ah, what!? No, you couldn't be possibly right, and don't get me wrong, I really like you, and you're very cute, but you aren't my type, no girls are, sorry, and anyone who might told you about my checking others in the dressing rooms was lying, I, I just like their underwear, and those times watching Sister Shakti in the bath, that's just because I want to know how she keeps her skin all so nifty and nice, and I am hetero and haven't ever had feelings of sexual desire for you, also because you aren't even adolescent yet, even if you are ever so helpful, responsible, and underage but exotic!" At that point, her voice choked helplessly.  
  
Because while had been babbling madly, Cocone hummed very quietly, taking a piece of clothing off every time Misora stopped to gasp nervously. By the time Misora seemed to have run out of things to say, reduced to whimpering, Cocone had finished taking her socks off, and so she stood in the middle of the confessional booth as naked as the day she had been born. Misora and Negi's eyes went cartoonishly large and spherical.  
  
"Place your prayers, hopes and offerings upon this, my shrine. Do that, and you might be forgiven," Cocone monotoned, grabbing the temples of the other girl and roughly pulling her face against her bare crotch, and she was as harsh and merciless as you can be with such a seemingly emotionless whisper.  
  
Misora stuttered against the hairless crotch. "C-C-C-C-Cocone-chan! W-wait, you areeeee --!"  
  
Cocone ground her sex against Misora's mouth to silence her. Funny, in a way, how she was being so eloquent for once while forcing the verbose Kasuga to shut up. "You know that I am older than I appear. And I'm hardly an innocent myself. Life at my hometown was difficult, and my father drank too much for his good or mine. Now worship," she said.  
  
Misora was about to protest with some variation of 'Oh, come on!', but then those quiet yet haunting eyes were fixed on her. So, after trembling pitifully, the taller girl began licking, inexpert and clumsily, all the while Negi watched on in stunned silence. Cocone took a look at the small poking form in the crotch of his pants and beckoned softly for him to get closer. Negi shook his head desperately, so Cocone insisted. "Do you want to break her heart further?" she asked.  
  
Negi trembled violently, Chisame's angry face appearing as a vigilant ghost in his mind, and nailing him to the floor. Cocone sighed as Misora's tongue caressed weakly her inner folds, taking hold of her scalp to guide her head for better service. "I understand," she whispered for Negi's benefit, "You would prefer being with Chisame-san, wouldn't you."  
  
Both Negi and his student shuddered, for different even if related reasons. Seeing the look of pure pain in Misora's face, Negi softly mused, "N-No ... with Chisame, I'm afraid, it can't be ..."  
  
His thoughts the other night had been folly. They still were siblings. It would be unfair to drag her into a doomed relationship. But Misora, now he knew it, did love him and unlike Nodoka, she didn't have another boy to maybe eventually marry. (In the confusion of the moment, he forgot the fact she wasn't supposed to ever marry anyway.) She was crying, even as she licked Cocone. She wanted him.  
  
He couldn't make one of his precious students suffer.  
  
"Then come," Cocone all but begged, and he finally nodded his agreement.  
  
He stood behind Misora, who had fallen on all fours, taking his jacket and shirt off with shaky fingers. From there on, Cocone made no sound at all through the procedures, but she kept her hands firmly on Misora's scalp, preventing her from escaping. Until the smaller sister let a single moan out, and Misora felt some wetness spraying her tongue. She was too thankful that it was too sticky to be urine to feel disgusted by it. She swallowed like she thought she was supposed to know, despite the funny and not too good taste, and said humbly, "W-Whoa. I really hope this is a first step in my redemption to your eyes, because y-you truly mean a lot to me, but ... I still love Negi-kun a lot, too."  
  
"I know," Cocone nodded. Then she pushed Misora on her back and took hold of her shoes, taking them off. "So undress. Sensei will now give you the love you craved so much. It's okay. If it's him, I don't mind sharing you. Much."  
  
"Uh, what?" Misora gulped.  
  
Negi sweated copiously, doing a full budy blush, as he finished stripping naked, his small but very rigid thing and ... ball things hanging over Misora's fully open eyes. "Ahhhhh, y-yes, I figure it's the least I can do f-for you, for your love, and ... and I like you a lot, Misora-chan, and you mean a lot to me, and ..."  
  
After a moment of terrified contemplation, Misora reached up with an unsteady pointer finger, poked at the hard-yet-cartilaginous soft surface of the penis, swallowed the load of saliva in her throat, and squeaked a faint, "Okay. I will do it." Her hands went to her habit, and worked in tandem with Cocone's until she, too, was completely in the nude between them. "Please be gentle, Negi-kun. It's ... it's my first time."  
  
"I will," he seriously promised, before descending on her, despite feeling on the edge of fainting dead away. Cocone pulled herself back and watched as best as she could, sitting in the shadows.  
  
As long as Misora was happy, she would be, too.  
  
At the moment, however, now that they were face to face with each other, Negi and Misora were frozen, neither daring to make the first move. "So, ummm," Misora cleared her throat. "How do you start it?"  
  
"I have no idea," Negi admitted. "Mother guided me along that time."  
  
"Why doesn't that surprise me? So you've done it only once?"  
  
"W-Well, it's difficult for her to find a moment when Chisame, Satomi and Chamo aren't around, so ..."  
  
"Naturally," she sighed. "Chisame will get freaking mad over this, you know? If you thought I took it badly --"  
  
He gulped. "I know. And this won't make her too happy either."  
  
"Understatement of the century," Kasuga nodded, but then smirked. "So let's do it already!" Coward or not, she still was one to never reject a chance to put one over on others. That was the soul of a prankster.  
  
"O-Okay, okay." Negi tried to maneuver his hips right over hers, which was difficult both because of their different sizes and because of how much they were both trembling. "I'm, I'm going to get it i-in, if, if you feel anything bad, just tell me and I'll stop."  
  
"Okay," she gasped, grabbing his arms for support. It was awkward as heck in such a tight room, and her head bumped against a wall while her legs were leaning up against the opposite one. But she was too afraid of being caught to even think of suggesting that they take it outside. "Heh heh heh, don't worry about me, I'm an athlete, I broke my hymen in PE long ago." Misora laughed rather lamely and stiffly, shifting a foot around while keeping her sight fixed on Negi's bare feet. As she spoke, her gaze travelled up his legs slowly, going higher and higher as she gathered courage, until she finally could look at his erect member. It was weird; she thought it shouldn't be having erections at such a young age. She guessed it had to be another side effect of whatever had happened to him. "That, that is ... quite a show of development, isn't it? Congrats, y-you're really becoming a strong man."  
  
"Excuse me, but ... your what, you said?" Negi asked her.  
  
Misora grunted. "Never mind that now! Just jam it in!"  
  
"J-Just give me a moment, please. Actually, Misora-chan, I'm thinking, m-maybe this isn't such a good idea." He looked down at her in a wide-eyed manner that could be called innocent-looking, although his hands still were planted on the floor at her sides and he was making no effort to cover his crotch.  
  
She rubbed her eyes with a hand in a typical frustrated gesture. "I know, I know. I can foresee what you're about to tell me now."  
  
And they said at once, "If you don't want to do this, it's okay."  
  
They looked at each other's eyes, both terribly afraid and rigid, until she fell into a shaky laugh. "No, seriously! I, I want to do it, yeah, but ... look, I need to know, so be honest ... how many --?"  
  
"Only Mother. Seriously."  
  
"But you'd still rather do it with Chisame, wouldn't you?"  
  
"Misora-chan, I..."  
  
She sighed. "Forget it. I know I can't make you change your mind so quickly. You know what? Forget that. Fuck it, and just fuck me. We'll worry about that later. We've gone too far by now."  
  
"I'm sorry!" Negi said, jerking his head down. "I know I'm a horrible person, but Mother wanted it so much, and once she started, so did I, and I don't know what is--!"  
  
"Shhh. Shhhh," Misora placed her hands on his cold, sweaty cheeks to calm him down. Something was very wrong with him, indeed, but if he was going to fall, she'd either pull him up or fall with him. "Okay, okay, I'm not mad," she cooed, hugging him and rocking him back and forth in her embrace. "That, that isn't so bad ... I have a few cousins who got married to each other, actually, not like this is the same at all, but still, we all do some experimenting when we're young, and I'll admit I don't know EVERYTHING about Ostian culture, and ... look, Negi, I won't denounce your mother. Not after this. Does that make you feel better?"  
  
Negi rested his chin on her shoulder. "Thank you, Misora-chan, but ... but ...!"  
  
Misora pondered her situation, failed to come up with a reasonable exit, and gave him a small tender mouth kiss. "I'm fine with anything you do, as long as I'm there. No one is perfect, right?" She couldn't believe she was saying that, and she was sure she'd regret it later, but right now, he needed something to pull him back from despair, and what she was doing right now, that was, pushing her pale chest to him, seemed to work, making him go mute and expectant, his mouth slightly open. "I, I know I'm not buxom as Iinchou or Chizuru or Kaede or, um, that thing Eva-san can be, but ..."  
  
"It's okay," he whispered, tentatively caressing her collarbone. "You're beautiful as well, Misora. All of you are."  
  
"Hrrrmmmmm," she said, neutrally. She wasn't sure she liked the implications in that 'all of you', but she wasn't going to antagonize him now. Especially not now he had gone to work with his mouth on her breasts and nipples the same way he had done with his mother in the shower. All thoughts of running away melted down like ice tossed into fire, and even the way Cocone-chan was touching herself as she watched stopped existing for the moment. Squeezing her eyes closed, she enjoyed his mouth work for the next few moments, feeling goosebumps all over her skin, and her nipples becoming hard as little rocks.  
  
Until she had enough of that and pushed him on his back, crawling on top of him. "Negi," she breathed raggedly, "make me your woman, okay?"  
  
He swallowed the large lump in his throat and nodded. "As you wish."  
  
She grinned in a nervous but honest way, sitting on top of his crotch, allowing him to drink on her nudity's sight for a few moments before proceeding. Her body was very slim, but fit and athletic, and he could feel the thin but firm muscles in her lower body as she carefully, yet clumsily, maneuvered herself against his pulsing member. With the experience acquired from previous lovemaking, he grabbed her hips and guided her way down, as skillfully as he did everything else.  
  
Misora bit her tongue as he slowly pushed his hips up, and then he was entering her. It hurt a little, but probably not as much as it would if she hadn't busted it doing stretches two years before all this. And then, as he began to move back and forth, it started to do something that was the opposite of hurting. It felt good.  
  
But ... just good. Nothing too mind-blowing. It was like she felt whenever she ran just for fun, instead of how she felt when she'd run her heart out and placed first.  
  
Maybe it was the positioning, she decided. Yes, that made sense. It was probably harder for him to do stuff to make her feel mind-blowingly great, when she was sitting on his hips like this. Well, that was fixable. She grabbed hold of his tight little butt and, clutching him even closer, rolled to the side so that she was on the bottom. That resulted in her head being uncomfortably close to one of Cocone's hips, since the booth was so small, but she could handle that easily.  
  
"Eh?" Negi said, startled by the sudden movement.  
  
"This's better!" she told him.  
  
"Ah. All right then," he replied, still a bit mystified, as he began moving back and forth a bit more vigorously. The change in position meant that it was a bit more work for him to reach up with his mouth towards Misora's nipples, but he still did the best he could under the circumstances.  
  
It took him just a few minutes to achieve what he could tell was going to be his first climax of the evening. He might be developing remarkable stamina, but he was still only human. "Misora-chan," he rasped. "Misora-chan, I'm going, I think I'm going to, I need to pull out so --!"  
  
She growled and hugged him closer, refusing to let him go now she was finally getting something out of the experience, perhaps helped by how Cocone had moved right behind her to caress one of her nipples and lick the other. She preferred to not think too hard about that. "No! Fuck no! If you're getting your own mother pregnant, you're getting me pregnant too, because no way I'm losing to that cow!"  
  
"But, but, but!" he cried while pistoning into her. "I can't do this to you, ah ah ah!"  
  
"It's what I want!" she yelled, too excited to be as terrified as she should have been. "Not like I have any parents to disappoint! Fuck me, fuck me, and give me a kid, and then be responsible so I can escape this place! Do it!" she roared, clawing fiercely on his skin, and that pushed him into a final urgent cry.  
  
With that cry, he released his load, then collapsed on Misora's stomach. After a brief interval of panting, he wearily looked up at her with a smile ...  
  
... that turned into a concerned expression when he saw her looking up at the ceiling blankly. "Misora?" he asked, sounding worried.  
  
"Oh," she said, snapping out of it. "That, that was so great, Negi-kun! I've never felt anything like it! It, it made me lose it for a second."  
  
"Oh," Negi said, taking her word at face value. "That's good."  
  
"Yeah," she smacked her lips together, taking a glance at Negi's manhood slipping out of her as he pulled back, small white drips running over the floor between them. She noticed he still was erect, maybe not as much as before but still reasonably so, which puzzled her greatly. She had been under the impression all men went flaccid after cumming. But then again, he was far from being a normal man or boy. Her little Superman.  
  
It was okay. So their first time hadn't felt excessively great, but she had heard most first times were awful, so she reasoned, if anything, she had been lucky. Now they'd do it a second time, and now it'd be great, and --  
  
"Sensei," Cocone had moved between them. "Me now, please."  
  
"Bweh?" Misora asked as Negi gagged on his saliva again.  
  
Cocone looked back at her over her bare shoulder. "We three are going to be happy together, right?"  
  
"Ah, yes, of course, but!" her friend said.  
  
"Then let's be happy together," Cocone repeated, and faced Negi again. "I said it already, if it's you, it's okay, Sensei."  
  
"Um, okay. Sure thing," he gasped yet again, unable to find a valid reason to reject her after taking Misora. He was as young as she was, after all, so he couldn't make an objection based on her age. At least, he believed so. It was hard to think, now that Cocone had moved forward to kiss his lips with a passion and intensity he never thought possible in her, and then he was humping the petite girl against a corner, feeling her up and down while Misora watched in rapt fascination, touching herself.  
  
But after several long minutes of that, and when Misora reached an orgasm on her own fingers that felt annoyingly sweeter than that his cock had given her, Kasuga began feeling half-annoyed by how they seemed to have a much better harmony, half-scared they were taking too long and others would look for them. "Ummm ... guys? I hate to hurry you, but --"  
  
"Ah, ah, just a moment, please," he raspily begged, his right hand moving down to Cocone's tiny clitoris, striking at it quickly to bring her to orgasm. Only when he heard the girl's muted gasps growing louder than even before, he quickened his pumps until he finished. "Ahh. That, that was good. Did you feel good too, Cocone-chan?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'm glad," he sighed in relief, pulling out of her, more flaccid now, but still less than Misora had expected. He still reached for his pants, seeming too eager to put them back on. "That was, it felt wonderful, really, but ... what are you doing?"  
  
After placing a hand on her own crotch and whispering something in an arcane variation of the Mundus Magicus Latin, Cocone looked blandly at him and said, "I have just induced my first ovulation."  
  
"Ahhh!?" the other two cried.  
  
She nodded. "Wherever Misora goes, I'll go."  
  
Misora facepalmed. "You were the responsible one."  
  
"I'm still that, only in a different way," Cocone said, going to give her a soft but heartfelt hug.  
  
Negi had the dread feeling Cocone would get along famously with his mother. On that note, he couldn't help wondering what were she and Sister Shakti discussing now, in any event.  


* * *

  
  
Sister Shakti, meanwhile, moaned desperately as she clung to her bedsheets, legs spread as Princess Arika knelt between them, licking and lapping expertly at the core of her womanhood, until her back curved almost painfully, and she screamed her release, taut muscles spasming one last time before her body slumped like a ragdoll.  
  
As Shakti lay on her back, still racked by tiny tremors, the other naked woman sat on her bed, sensually licking her own lips and fingers, and the juices coating them. "You have accumulated a great deal of harmful tension," she observed. "I shudder just to think of the need that must be constricting your colleague Touko."  
  
The dark skinned blonde gasped for air. "No one ... no one must ever ... know about this ..."  
  
She still wasn't sure exactly how she had been talked into this, or rather convinced of it, since there had been few words exchanged after Arika told her everything about Asuna, Negi, Chisame, Nagi and herself. And her father. By the end of that twisted tale, Shakti was primed to explode and lash out at the woman, and a brief struggle had ensued, even, but at some point, that had led to ... this.  
  
"We shall see," Arika hummed to herself. "So, about the matters concerning my children and Nagi's ..."  
  
The other female gave her an angry glare. "You are insane. As much as your father."  
  
"That is easy for you to say," Arika replied vacantly. "You didn't know my father."  
  
"Mine was not a saint either."  
  
"Oh, yes. The sovereign of Mol-Mol. If he made you escape a life of riches to go serve the Church in a strange land, I can sympathize with you, wholeheartedly. And so, you should return the favor."  
  
Shakti frowned. "What do you want from me, exactly? How do I figure in your scheming?"  
  
"At the moment, I only ask for two things. Your discretion concerning everything I have confessed, and help in finding the person who betrayed Nagi and me. Do that, and I shall reward you as richly as I can."  
  
"You have no belongings, power or money with which to tempt me, and even if you did, I have no love for such riches, Princess."  
  
"I was not talking about material riches. I know you always loved Nagi from afar, never daring to come near him. I know you suffered greatly the day he went missing. Help me, and ultimately, our true happiness will come from the same source."  
  
"How did you --" Shakti was shocked. "Better yet, what are you --"  
  
Arika smiled, in a sad yet sincere way, and then she kissed her mouth.  
  
Shakti didn't fight the kiss back this time, despite everything.  


* * *

  
  
The way back home, near dawn, was a slow and silent one. Arika observed both Chisame and Negi seemed too involved and sunken into their respective troubled thoughts. She could guess the recent source of Negi's, since the very subtle smell on him told her of fascinating scenes with Kasuga-san and Fatima Rosa-san. And that actually made her proud. Her teachings on being a strong, virile man were paying off quickly. She'd have to talk with Shakti-chan about that, too. But Chisame's case was harder to read. Arika was sure part of it was due to the girl still struggling with the revelations on her heritage, but she had a strong feeling there was something else to it, as well. Something sinister.  
  
Chisame had mentioned spending some time with Evangeline McDowell the night prior.  
  
It looked as though Arika would have to pay the vampiric stalker a visit soon.  


* * *

  
  
_The Next Day_.  
  
Saionji Youko, a still young and beautiful woman of long brown hair tied into a ponytail, dressed in a purple shirt with a light red sweater over it, and a long skirt, faced the three younger females who had served as her usual waitresses during the last few months. Her own daughter Sekai, her daughter's classmate Akane, and a mutual friend and coworker, Tokiha Mai, who stood in the middle of the trio, sporting a nervous, apologetic smile.  
  
Youko sighed. "I am very glad about your brother's miracle recovery, Mai-chan, and I'm honored you have so much of a hurry to return to your job here now."  
  
"Well ..." The busty girl scratched the back of her neck. "I've always loved this job, Boss. It gives me a sense of purpose. I don't think I ever could live without working, really."  
  
"And that's admirable," Youko said. "However, while you always have done a stellar job ... I can only pay three waitresses at a time. And while you were away, your replacement committed herself to the job so much, I'm going to have a very hard time telling her she has to leave. I'm not sure how --"  
  
"That'll be no problem, Boss," another female voice said from the door of Youko's office at the back of the café. The four of them turned to look at the newcomer, a tall, curvy female with striking red hair and a flashing, proud grin of perfect white teeth.  
  
"Sugiura-sensei?" Mai recognized the History teacher. "You are my substitute here?"  
  
Akane looked a bit downcast. "Sorry I didn't tell you before. I just had no idea how --"  
  
The redhead laughed loudly. "Oh, c'mon, it's no big deal anyway! I'm sure we can reach an agreement! I don't need a lot of extra money ... I'd be willing to work for half of the wages, actually ... just as long as I get to be here, doing what I enjoy best after teaching, studying, and, ah, a third thing! And we all should spend our bright youths doing what we like best, don't you think, Mai-chan?"  
  
Mai blinked. "Hm, sure, but wouldn't that be a bother to you, I mean, only half the --"  
  
The newcomer gave her a thumbs up. "Hey, I told you, I don't care! I'm only seventeen years old! At this age, we can't be too greedy! And we took the Contract ... because we really wanted it, riiiight?"  
  
"The ... Contract?" Mai said, wondering if she meant -- and then something in the glint in Sugiura Midori-sensei's eyes told her that she meant what she thought she meant. Mai felt herself start to tremble inside.  
  
Oblivous to this byplay, Saionji Sekai muttered, "Seventeen years old? Really?"  


* * *

  
  
**Next** : Midori.


	6. Period Five: Midori

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

 _Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for writing most of this chapter's first lemon scene.

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

      

**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period Five: Midori.**

* * *

  _Definitely more than seventeen years ago:_  
  
The old man woke up past midnight, to the sounds of desperate bawling somewhere out there. With half-closed eyes that felt like they each weighed a ton, he waddled out into the chill night, following the sound trail to the gateway of his temple, where there was a small bundle inside of a basket, at the top of the stairs leading there.  
  
He recognized the designs sewn on the blankets that covered the crying baby as he stopped before it, a deep scowl curving his face down. Of course they would leave that child on his doorstep, then. Children nowadays, always so irresponsible. Always trying to escape.  
  
"So, it comes down to this, after all," the old priest muttered to himself as he knelt and picked the tiny child up, making sure she was healthy and around three months old, not to mention she was, well, a she. As though he had the time or energy to deal with this. He had his hands full with his own son, and leaving the child with Tatsumiya over at the Mahora branch would have made much more sense. After all, he didn't even have to worry about his own granddaughter, whom he had left to her own devices along with her Partner. Then again, if that was known to the girl whom he suspected was to blame for this, maybe it was a last remaining shred of decency that led her to leave her child with him, instead of resorting to someone as cold as Tatsumiya.  
  
But she could have left her at the very root of all their problems, at the Masaki shrine, in that case. Sure, it was further down south, but would it have killed her to take the train there? As it was, he was surprised she hadn't just left the child in a dump.  
  
But Munakata Jin, despite all his inner complaints, actually tried to be a better man than Tatsumiya, or even his grandfather Katsuhito. Unlike most others in the family, despite resenting the weight placed on him, he wouldn't attempt to shake them off. He supposed that made him an easy target for others' unwanted loads, as this despairing child was proving by her mere presence, but he could not and would not, in good conscience, wash his hands of her as everyone else had.  
  
Sighing, he began moving back towards his home. The child kept on crying, despite snuggling against his body warmth. Odds were she was hungry. What a bother. Where to get milk so late at night, when (of course) he was lactose intolerant and couldn't keep any around ...  
  
He would have to call his son. He and his wife kept on trying and trying to have a child of their own, so they probably had a better idea of what to do about this than him, who had more or less stayed out of his late wife's way when she was raising their sole child.  
  
He read the name sewn into the blankets, beside the seal of that branch of the clan.  
  
 _Midori._  
  
"A cute name for a cute child," he decided, smiling despite himself.  
  
She promptly puked on him, and as he stared at the greenish-colored substance staining his shirt, he began to re-evaluate his impression of that particular color and name.  
  


* * *

_The Present Day:_  
  
It had been a fairly good day on the job. Four of them serving tables made it all that much faster and easier, and the dynamics didn't seem to have suffered at all. Akane continued being distant, as she had been since Mai started ... to put no fine a point on it, fucking Takumi, but she was polite and tolerant on the job as ever, and Sekai was in her usual good, chipper mood, cracking light comments even to the customers.   
  
It was clear, however, that Sugiura-sensei wasn't cut for this line of work, and despite all of her enthusiasm (which actually didn't seem as overwhelming as Youko-san had described it) she was clumsy and mostly inefficient at it. She confused orders and dropped two trays while rushing between tables, and by the end of the day, Mai and Sekai were in silent agreement that half of the usual payment still might be too much for her. Still, at no time did she lose her good mood and disposition, so scolding her or losing your patience with her seemed borderline cruel. For now.  
  
Despite that, Mai had pretty much lost what little good will she had left when she noticed Sugiura-sensei was closely following her during her way back home.  
  
While crossing the small bridge over the river (not to be mistaken with the much bigger suspension bridge where Negi had fought Evangeline downriver) Mai finally decided that she'd had enough, and turned around to face her, under the reddish afternoon sky.  
  
"Okay," Tokiha said. "I'll be direct, if you excuse me."  
  
"I prefer it that way," the young teacher shrugged her shoulders, with a carefree expression on her face.  
  
"Why are you following me? And don't give me the 'I live this way too' excuse, because not only do teachers live the other way across the river, but you have never taken the same way as me before!"  
  
The older female raised an eyebrow. "My, my, my! Is that a way to treat a teacher of yours?"  
  
"I guess the fact that you're only one year older than me might make for a mitigating factor?" Mai shot back, quite sharply.   
  
"True," Midori rubbed her own chin. "It's like we're classmates more than anything else, right? Still, I won't have you calling me Midori-chan yet."  
  
A huge bead of sweat grew on Mai's head. "I'll never do that. Please answer my question."  
  
"I was staring at your ass all the way here," the teacher said frankly. "I had never noticed you had such a firm, nice ass. I mean, people always talks about your boobs, but I've never been a boob person."  
  
Mai fell flat on her face, then sprang back to her feet, pointing an accusing finger at her. "Th-Th-That's abuse of authority! Sexual harassment! I'll report you!"  
  
"I guess my being only one year older than you might make for a mitigating factor?" Midori asked her, quite sharply.   
  
"..." Mai said.  
  
"Relax, I'm only kidding around," the teacher chuckled. "Although you do have a nice ass, and yeah, I had never noticed. But you're more of an Otouto-con, aren't you?"  
  
After a moment of extreme paleness, a deep shade of pink blush rose across Mai's face. "What! How!"  
  
Midori looked at her curiously. "Tch, just kidding again. Touched a nerve? I mean, the way you always worry so much about your brother, the kids are always making those shifty jokes behind your back, but you know them, never mind the idiots. Glad he's feeling better now, by the way."  
  
"What? How?" Mai babbled this time. "Wait, they are? Who? Those bums -- it's Aoi and Chie, right!?"  
  
"Nope," Midori lied as easily as you breathe. "It's kind of your own fault too, Mai-chan. I understand you couldn't tell them all about his state, but if you only had been a little more specific about it, they might have understood your devotion better."  
  
Mai began scowling in a downright chilling way. "And ... who told YOU about --?" If it had been Akane, she'd make her pay, no matter what.  
  
"Kyubey did," Midori replied nonchalantly.  
  
Once again, Mai went pale. _"Him?!"_  
  
Midori nodded. "You only need to ask the right questions. A tip; every time you meet him, ask him if he's recruited another girl. Then ask who is she, if his answer is affirmative. Try asking simple, inescapable Yes or No questions. He's very tricky, and often talks in double meanings... not double entendres, mind. I don't think he even understands what's sex about. Hell, I'm almost convinced he has no sex at all. I started calling him a her, but Mami-chan thought she was more like a him, so I followed her cue. Nothing worth fighting over, believe me."  
  
Mai blinked. "Mami-chan? Who's that?"  
  
"Our Vice-President."  
  
"What are you talking about? Kanzaki Reito-sempai is our Vice-President! Everyone knows that!"  
  
"No, I mean the Vice-President of our Magical Girls Association. I am the President-for-Life, of course!" She flashed her perfect glinting grin again, and her teeth softly went Ting! Somehow.  
  
Mai's eyes had grown to a truly grotesque size. "You have an Association?"  
  
" **We** have an Association!" Midori remarked, poking a finger into Mai's chest. "Welcome, new member!"  
  
After a split second of looking on the edge of protesting furiously, Mai deflated and sighed, "So you really did mean Kyubey's contract back there ... I had almost convinced myself otherwise ..."  
  
"What, did you really think you'd be the only one?"  
  
"I don't know," Mai confessed. "I never thought about it, really. I've been too worried about Takumi. How many --?"  
  
"Five so far, in this district. Yours Truly, Homura-chan, Natsuki-chan, Mami-chan, and now you! You okay, Hon? You look kind of pale."  
  
"In this district?!"  
  
"There might be more in other areas of Japan, or even across the world."  
  
"MIGHT?!"  
  
"Often, Kyubey also can be very good dodging answering things altogether, no matter how much you try," she smiled almost fondly. "That literal little rat-bastard."  
  
Mai took both hands to her own head, muttered a curse, and then realized something. "Did you say 'Natsuki-chan'?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"Like in Kuga Natsuki?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
"The Kuga Natsuki in my classroom, the same one who misses classes all the time, the delinquent and truant we only see like once a month? The one we always wonder why the teachers haven't booted her out yet?"  
  
"Well, we did set her a year back. She's one year older than you. Technically, the decision was made before my time since I only started as a teacher this year, but ... anyway, yeah, her! Now, will you come with me to tonight's meeting? I'm sure Akane-chan won't mind cooking your brother's dinner after her date, assuming he can't do it himself. Which he should, now he's fully healthy again. I had congratulated you on that, hadn't I?"  
  
"Yes, you had. But, um, look, Sensei, even so, I don't feel like leaving Takumi alone for so long."  
  
"But we'll have tea! And pastries! Mami-chan's are the best!"  
  
"... I'm trying to watch my weight."  
  
"Tsk! The continued exercise of fighting for Justice as a Magical Girl will keep you fit! You need all the nutrients you can get!"  
  
"You seem very sure I'll devote my life from now on to fighting those ... _Wraiths_ with you. Why?"  
  
"You have to. That comes with taking the Contract."  
  
"Oh? So all four of you --?"  
  
"Well, actually, only Mami-chan and me are official members."  
  
"So your organization has a President, a Vice-President ... and no one else?"  
  
"We have you now. And recruiting the others is a work in progress! Now, will you come with me before anyone else FINALLY passes here near us and wonders what's up with the nonsense we're discussing like lunatics?"  
  
Mai sighed in utter defeat. "It'll only be a few minutes, right?"  
  


* * *

  
  
The tea and pastries were indeed delicious, some of the best Mai had ever tasted. "Congratulations!" she said, with sincerity in each letter. "This, this is wonderful! You're an excellent homemaker, Tomoe-san!"  
  
The beautiful young lady sitting across her and Midori, perhaps only a few months younger than Mai, smiled very pleasantly, in a way that softly lightened her angelical face framed by golden curls. She wore all white, and despite being shorter than either of them, she was just as busty as Mai, giving her a more buxom, yet still classy and dignified appearance, in stark contrast with the down-to-earth look of the short haired Mai and the almost childlike way Midori devoured her snacks, drowning them down with sips from a can of Ebisu beer. "Thanks, your words honor me, Tokiha-san," Tomoe Mami answered, with a hand on a cheek. "I do my best."  
  
Mai looked all around, again drinking in the sights of the neatly arranged dinning room, decorated in an old fashioned style better fitting a mature woman with outdated tastes. Even so, Mai herself had been forced to grow up before her time, and had few if any friends her own age, so the place seemed mostly charming and lovely to her. Judging from Midori's expression, she herself felt mostly discreet uneasiness in there, but after a few gulps of beer, that mattered little. She bopped the can on the table a few times before declaring aloud, "Alright! Now you've met each other, it's time to officially induct Tokiha Mai-chan into the Magical Girl Association of Earth!"  
  
"Of Earth?" Mai took her eyes away from the pictures of a tiny young Mami with a couple Mai guessed had to be her parents, and looked at Midori's goofy crocodile smile instead.  
  
The teacher shrugged. "There's at least one other world, didn'tcha know?" She pointed through the window, up at the crimson bathed Mars. Just looking at it again made Mai feel ill. "Why do you think you can see that red shroud? That's the gift of a Magical Girl. There's a whole world of magic and wonders up on Mars, a world even space probes built by mundanes can't see. Kyubey and the Wraiths come from there."  
  
"R-Really?" Mai gasped, and then gasped harder upon realizing something else. "Oh God! But, but Akane-chan can see the Red Mars, too!"  
  
"Who is Akane-chan?" asked Tomoe.  
  
"Her roommate, our co-worker," Midori's face had suddenly gained a strained, serious edge in a complete U-turn. "Are you sure?"  
  
Mai nodded very nervously.   
  
After a moment of contemplation, Midori sighed deeply. "What are the odds? Three of us in the same workplace? I won't be shocked of Sekai-chan is one as well. Funny; so many months spent waiting for more and now ... well, it doesn't matter. That only means she has the capacity, the potential, but unless Kyubey approaches her with a Contract offer and she accepts it, it won't make a difference."  
  
"Do you think he will?" Mai asked, concerned.  
  
"It's ... difficult to know," Mami admitted. "His actions are hard to predict, but unless there's another increase in the local Wraith activity, I doubt he'll try recruiting anyone else."  
  
"So he gives powers to people so we can fight those monsters? Why doesn't he use the powers himself, then?" Mai wondered aloud.  
  
"He can't access the powers himself. He's only the key to activate a Magical Girl's inner potential, through the Contract," Midori explained while scratching her nose. "The power was always yours, it's just you couldn't unlock it before."  
  
"Okay," Mai said, deciding to play along. "So, who sends those monsters here, and why?"  
  
"Every three hundred years, the Magical World set on Mars goes through a cataclysmic crisis, during which the Wraiths pour down onto Earth through focal points of great magical activity," Midori kept on talking. "Mahora is one of those, and the World Tree is the biggest symbol of the link between the worlds at our grounds. Anyway, when that happens, women with connections to the source of all magic are chosen to fight the Wraiths off until the balance between the worlds is restored."  
  
Mai blinked. Then she looked warily at Mami. "Is that right, or has she drank too much?"  
  
"Heeeyyy!" Midori protested.   
  
Mami nodded. "She's completely right. But yes, she has drunk too much, as well."  
  
"Mami!" Midori growled. "I've only had ..." She paused, as though trying to count silently, then shrugged, shook her head, and continued in the same tone. "... a few!"  
  
The blonde gave her a subtly sly side glance. "Minors shouldn't drink at all, and you are still seventeen, aren't you?"  
  
"I have a special license!" Midori lied. "Just like I have for teaching! Haven't we gone through this before?"  
  
"Oh yes," Mami sighed. "So many, many, many times ..."  
  
Despite herself, Mai smiled at the exchange. "Oh, you guys. Still, I'm not sure I'm ... ready to join you in this task yet."  
  
"You mean 'willing'," Midori shot back.  
  
"Perhaps," Mai allowed with a shrug.  
  
"It's not as easy as just deciding to stay out of the way, Tokiha-san," Mami said politely. "Once you take the Contract, the Wraiths will go directly after you, feeling your awakened powers, and perhaps fearing them. They feed on magical beings and those gifted with the power, although if they can't find them, they will devour anyone else who happens to be close. Do you see? As long as we allow the Wraiths to wander around freely, no one in Mahora will be safe. Not even your brother, sadly."  
  
Mai paled horribly. "B-But --! Isn't there anyone else who can --?"  
  
"Oh, Mahora has several magical protectors besides us, yeah, and they do a good job at keeping most menaces away," Midori said. "But here's the thing, none of them can see or hear the Wraiths. Only we can. For anyone else, the victims of the Wraiths will look as mere victims of freak accidents, or mysterious illnesses, because Wraiths most often devour the soul, rather than the body. So we're all that stands between them and everyone."  
  
"That's ... that's horrible!" Mai gasped, a hand on her own throat. "I had no idea!"  
  
"Yeah, Kyubey-kun tends to conveniently forget a few things to mention during recruiting," Midori nodded, and then smiled. "But it was worth it, in exchange for your wish, wasn't it?"  
  
After a moment of wide eyed silence, Mai smiled back and nodded. "Yeah."  
  
"Glad to hear so," Midori stood back up and dusted herself off. "Well then, let's finish this initiation ceremony with the part that is an actual ceremony," she belched. "Sorry! Anyway, Sister Mai, we're going through your rite of passage now! Your big entrance test!"  
  
"You're going to hit me in the ass with wooden paddles?" Mai felt like snarking.  
  
Midori smirked ferally. "No. We're going out to hunt!"  
  


* * *

  
  
"Not that I'm complaining," Mai said after pocketing her cellphone, her call to Takumi to warn him she'd be late home that night done. "But I had thought the life of a Mahou Shoujo would be ... somewhat more glamorous than this."  
  
She, Midori and Mami were trudging deep into the Mahora woods now, apparently heading Northwest, with Midori leading the march and singing _"I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic! I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic! I'm alive, alert, awake! Awake, alert, alive! I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic!"_ over and over, which was starting to plant scary thoughts of bloody murder in Mai's mind. Mami seemed to catch on that from Tokiha's expression and tried to calm her down with a maternal, caring explanation. Since Mami was likable in Mai's opinion, and she was bothering to explain things nicely while packing large muskets on special holders around her waist, Mai felt inclined to listen to her. She had learned the hard way to never argue with people carrying guns.  
  
"Most Wraiths tend to wander around the wilderness before getting really hungry and venture into campus proper, Tokiha-san," the blonde, now clad in an elegant and modest white Mahou Shoujo outfit that still managed to include a yellow micro-skirt, sexy black stockings and a bust-enhancing underbust corset. Midori's, by contrast, was a more functional looking ensemble of tight dark blue miniskirt and open jacket over a red tube top, plus, depressingly for Mai, a red scarf much like hers. In her hand, Midori held a threateningly huge labrys she swung around with nearly manic glee as she strode through the tall grass. On second thought, Mai realized, maybe she should have been more scared by that than by Mami's guns. The weaponry, I mean. "Scouting them out before they reach populated areas is part and parcel of our duty. Trust us, by exposing ourselves like sitting ducks and screeching like harpies in heat, we are luring them exactly where we want them."  
  
Midori stopped both her pace and song. "Like harpies in heat!? I was trying my best here!"  
  
A brief uncomfortable silence ensued.  
  
 _"I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic! I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic! I'm alive, alert, awake! Awake, alert, alive! I'm alive, alert, awake, enthusiastic!"_ Mami began, and after a moment, Mai joined her, both acting as if they had never offended the unstable chronic liar with the gigantic edged weapon. Midori watched them walk past her, sighed, and joined them again.  
  
Eleven minutes of going deeper into the wild and wearing Mai's patience thin, thankfully, a Wraith -- looking like a giant dust bunny with ram horns and eight vicious looking spiderlike furry legs -- jumped out of the bushes and attacked them.  
  
"Ah! At last!" Midori quickly assumed a battle ready stance. "At my side, Mami-chan! Mai-chan, stay behind and supply cover fire, but only when necessary!" she commanded as she ducked and swung under a long, sharp claw of the creature that had just ambushed them. Then she thrust her weapon forward, and pierced the beast's flank, which provoked a deafening sound, a hideous combination of howl and shriek, issuing from what Mai assumed was its mouth. It only grew in pitch as Midori, grinning, pulled the labrys up, cutting a bloody path through the Wraith's body, and Mami took aim and shot several times at the Wraith's head, a gun in each hand. Mai's jaw loosened slightly.  
  
She wasn't sure what she was supposed to do, or rather, where she was supposed to shoot her flames. Midori and Mami moved very fast around the Wraith, in circles, striking at it with surgical precision. They ran with an agility Mai wouldn't have suspected from either of them, and they seemed perfectly synchronized in their respective actions; while Midori used her bladed weapon's length to stay out of the reach of those slashing claws while still cutting the bloated dark body efficiently, Mami, keeping roughly the same distance but from an opposite angle, kept shooting at the head and what almost looked like the beast's neck. Soon, she shot one of its horns off, and then an eye, spraying gore everywhere.   
  
Mai was still rattled by that when Midori took it one step further, bisecting the Wraith's body with a deeper, more daring slash. Both cut halves still kept moving around madly, trying to regain their footing for a counterattack, but the two veteran Magical Girls had closed in, hacking and shooting like possessed women now, not giving it a moment of rest or chance. The carnage made horrible noises that made Mai's skin crawl, all made worse by the concentrated, half detached, half excited expressions on the faces of the others. Tokiha backed two steps away and breathed in and out until the two veterans stopped all of a sudden, backing away as well.  
  
And then the Wraith dissipated into nothingness, much like the one Mai herself had killed off earlier that week.  
  
Mami and Midori took a few moments to catch their breathing back before looking at each other and smiling softly, their former expressions replaced by the smooth satisfaction of a well done job. Only then, they looked back at Mai.  
  
Snapping back to reality, Tokiha gasped loudly and stuttered a hurried up, "S-Sorry, I couldn't find an opening, I was afraid I'd hit you, I couldn't be of an y--"  
  
Midori waved a hand at her. "Whatcha talking about? You did exactly as asked! Your help wasn't necessary yet, so you didn't rush in like some vulgar Leeroy Jenkins. That's good. Great, actually. It's better to have a disciplined soldier who can take orders rather than a psycho nutcase to endanger the operations, right, Mami-chan?"  
  
"What's a Leeroy Jenkins?" a confused Mami asked.  
  
Midori sighed. "We really gotta get you an Internet connection. It's all okay, Mai-chan! It's your first night in patrol, so no one's expecting you to save the day just yet. Just stand back, watch and learn for now."  
  
"You ..." Mai said. "You ... that thing never stood a chance ..."  
  
"Cool, huh?" Midori smirked again. "This is the result of a lot of practice and experience. Soon, you'll be as great at it as us!"  
  
Mai was rather frightened by that statement itself, but she distracted herself successfully from thinking too much of it by asking, "How long have you been ... doing this, anyway?"  
  
Midori took a more serious look again. "Oh, that. Me, for the last nine months, take or give a few weeks. Mami-chan, well ..."  
  
"Five years," Mami said softly, now looking away into the night, the small hat included with her uniform obscuring her face from that perspective.  
  
"Five? B-But then, you were --" Mai babbled.  
  
"Yes. I was." She nodded.  
  
"W-what was Kyubey thinking, offering you a contract for something this ... dangerous at such an age!?" Mai exclaimed.  
  
"Heh," Mami said. "It's fine, Tokiha-san. I'd have died back then if not for him, anyway. At worst, I'm living on a wonderful borrowed time, with the chance of meeting wonderful friends like you, friends I'd never have met if not because of the Contract ..."  
  
Mai almost felt like pointing out she shouldn't be so hasty to consider her a 'wonderful friend' just yet, since she didn't even really know her at all, but the heartfelt, oddly melancholy tone in Mami's voice discouraged her. She still liked the girl, even if she was such a fearsome warrior underneath it all. She just seemed to be a sweet kid forced to grow up before her time, forced to fight for her life. While Mai ... was a brother-fucker.  
  
Even Sugiura-sensei, crazy as she was, was much better than that.  
  
Then, pulling her from her grim thoughts, Midori was saying, "There she was again."  
  
"Huh?" Mai said, following her gaze and Mami's towards a line of willows, not finding anything of any note there. "What do you mean?"  
  
"She's gone already. She's that fast," Midori replied. "Akemi Homura-chan, one of the two outsiders. She often stalks us while we're hunting, and it stood to reason she'd be extra-interested tonight, when we have a new member. Pity; I was hoping this finally would move her to come closer... Not that we were using you as bait for her!" she quickly amended.  
  
"Right," Mai said, not bothering to care about that either way. "So, why does she do that?"  
  
"We don't know," Mami answered.  
  
"Haven't you ever tried asking her?"  
  
"Of course we did!" Midori huffed. "It's like trying to strike up a conversation with a brick wall, except that the wall at least has the decency of not turning around and leaving after not answering."  
  
Mami nodded. "A complex and unreadable individual. Sadly, those who don't want to be helped cannot be helped. Maybe someday ..."  
  
After a long moment of shared silence, Midori said, "So, Mai-chan, care to start a campfire for us? Wraiths rarely show up twice a night, so we might as well just celebrate."  
  
"I'm going home now," Mai said with an air of unshakable finality.  
  


* * *

  
  
_"Aozora ippai ni. Watashi-tachi no omoi ga chiribame rarete iku ..."_ Sugiura Midori's night desk phone rang out in musical bliss that was bluntly interrupted as soon as the young woman lifted a hand from her bed and slammed  down on it.   
  
Still keeping her eyes stubbornly closed, still lying on her stomach with her black panty-clad ass sticking up from the mess of disarranged bedsheets, Midori grunted, "Who?"  
  
A familiar voice answered, "It's me, Yohko. Were you partying all night long again?"  
  
"In a way," Midori crawled up enough to bury her face into her pillow. "Don't worry, I used protection."  
  
"I'll take your word for it," the woman on the other end of the line said. "Got plans to continue it tonight?"  
  
"Why? You finally joining in?"  
  
"Thanks, but no thanks. I'm just reminding you, even though today's your free day, you still agreed to spend the evening coordinating the Sports Festival with Negi-sensei."  
  
"Wasn't that tomorrow?" Midori mumbled.  
  
"No."  
  
"Shit. Can't you go in my place? I feel like cattle dung today, and you know I'm not good with kids."  
  
"You seem fairly good at leading them into situations of danger."  
  
"Yeah, but Negi-kun doesn't need any help with that. What am I supposed to do, then?" Midori finally sat up on the bed, with a yawn. One look at her clock told her it was 9:46 A.M. Well, that explained a few things about the funny smell in her mouth. "A slow morning, I see? What, not enough kids have scrapped their knees today, so you had enough time to play Mom with me? I'm so moved."  
  
"Your gratitude moves me even more. But yes, it's been kind of a slow morning. Marikawa and Mikado-sensei are handling everything fine, and after class, Izumi-chan will take over for me."  
  
Midori blinked. "So you can go do ... what?"  
  
"What, don't you think I have a social life of my own?"  
  
"No, I **do** know you don't have one."  
  
Midori found herself wondering how Yohko could pull off such a perfect impression of staring evilly at someone through the phone line.  
  
Regardless, she snickered. "Your mom set yourself for another date, riiiight?"  
  
"Wh-what if she did?"  
  
"Who is it this time? Knowing her tastes, it must be another weirdo ... Itoshiki? Mitsuru's pervy older brother? That creepy bus driver, what was his name again?"  
  
"... Ishigami."  
  
Midori broke into laughter. "THAT guy?! Your mom's gotta be joking! If she wanted an Arts Teacher for you, she should have picked Takamichi, at least!"  
  
"I don't have THAT much free time today, so I think I'll be hanging --"  
  
"Wait, wait! What if we go for a few drinks after I'm done with the boring stuff and you kick your date to the curb again?" Midori said eagerly. "I'll cover all the expenses this time! Honest!"  
  
After a few moments of consideration, the answer came, honest but nowhere as enthusiastic. "Sorry, but no, I can't. Not tonight."  
  
"Come on, Yohko-chan! It's been a while! We should go light up the night again, like the old times!"  
  
"Next week, okay?" her friend told her. "Bye. I think they're bringing Jinnai in, with a broken leg. Again."  
  
"Yohko-chan, wait, why can't -- Shit."  
  
Midori looked down at her bare feet, the hand holding the phone hanging at her side.  
  
She already felt like drinking.  
  
If she started now and didn't go overboard, she could sleep it off and be ready by the time of her rendezvous with the kid ...  
  


* * *

  
  
That night, Albert Chamomile, underwear thief and con artist extraordinary (in his own mind, at the very least) scurried into the Mahora Mary Magdalene Church, perfectly silent and stealthy. Whatever else could be said about him, he was actually quite talented at infiltration and discretion. Whenever he was not drunk, that was.  
  
Successfully dodging the creepy priest with the soulless eyes, not to mention the always Sister Shakti on patrol, he made it to Misora and Cocone's bedroom, where they waited for him, sitting on their lower bunk, clad in bedrobes and sporting the sort of austere expression he had come to expect from the later, but never the former.   
  
"I came here as soon as I got your e-mail, Miso-neechan," the ermine waved a paw up at them. "What's the matter? You know I love your company, but let's make this quick, since I have really important business elsewhere --"  
  
"More important than this?" Misora grunted, pulling her Pactio card out from under her pillow and showing it to him. The small white animal gasped aloud, noticing the shiny golden background surrounding Kasuga's image. He babbled without making any sound for the next few moments, while Cocone looked aside with an unreadable face. "What, what, how did that, when --!" he managed to cry at last.  
  
"I ... I found it that way this morning," Misora said reluctantly, keeping her eyes low, and blushing meaningfully. "Are the other girls' cards still--?"  
  
"Still the same, and still working, at least Sato-chan's and Chisame-nee's." Chamo stared, morbidly fascinated, at the small proof of Contract. "Chisa-nee's was using hers to cheat with her webpage again today, and ... oh, oh God ... h-how did this come to be? For this to happen, without a --"  
  
Cocone spoke then. "Is it necessary for a ritual to accompany the intimate contact during the forging of a Permanent Pactio, or does sexual intercourse between the partners after establishing a Provisional Alliance suffice?"  
  
Misora hid her bright red face between her hands and whimpered pitifully.  
  
Chamo sat upright, with gigantic bright starry eyes; he gained a huge, stupid grin slashing all across his furry face, and then fainted with a tiny orgasmic squeal of delight.  
  
"I told you he'd take it nicely," Cocone observed. "It was a good idea to contact him before anyone else."  
  
"Just ... just don't say anything for now, will you," Misora said in a choked, mortified tone.  
  


* * *

  
  
"I trust I'm not too late?" Sugiura Midori asked, walking into the Hall of Conferences with a slightly erratic swagger to her steps. There was no one there but Negi, in his eternal green suit and red tie, going over a thick pile of documents with a black pen and a feverish attitude that abruptly eased up as soon as he saw the woman standing in the doorway, with a fist cocked on a hip.  
  
"Oh, good evening, Sugiura-sensei!" he said. "Sorry, I tried calling you earlier, but you weren't answering, and I feared it'd be rude to show up at your house."  
  
"Thank you, Sensei," she sighed, swaying her hips as she walked to him, then dropping herself on the seat next his in the conference table. "It's me who should be sorry. I'm like two hours late, right? I ... I had this splitting ... headache, and I fell asleep, and ... I sort of woke up too late. My apologies."  
  
He nodded, being too polite to point out the subtle smell of liquor that drifted from her. even after her obvious recent bath. He had gotten far better than a normal human being at picking up scents after his transformation. He could smell the slight leftovers of soap on her skin, the shampoo on her hair, the first traces of sweat on her body. She had obviously rushed there, and her regret seemed sincere, so he smiled at her. "Don't worry. I could still use a lot of help here," he admitted sheepishly, holding a stack of dreaded paperwork up and handing it over to a resigned looking Midori. "I think you would handle the logistics of the student teams better than me, since you are better at seeing things on the same wavelength as youngsters."  
  
"That would be because I am a youngster," Midori replied.  
  
He gulped. "Ah, sorry! I didn't mean to imply --!"  
  
"But so are you!" she poked his nose with a finger. "Don't act like a shrunken old man all the time, Sensei! Even the Headmaster can lighten up more often than you."  
  
"I'm sorry," he repeated. "That's what Asuna-san is always telling me, but it's kind of hard to do."  
  
"And don't ask for forgiveness for everything either," she mumbled, scanning the first few lines of listed teams, both for competitions and preparations. "Hey, you'll be having a baking contest! Sweet, I want to judge that one."  
  
"I'm afraid all the judges have been chosen already, but we're still lacking an announcer for it."  
  
"Neat. I'll take it. That's even better, actually. But let's not derail our conversation." Before Negi could point out her intended theme was not, indeed, what they were there to discuss, she added, "I don't know why would you say you can't connect with the students. They love you!"  
  
"Well, yes," he admitted, "But loving someone and obeying them are two different things. Even now, I often have problems asserting my authority. I can't wait to grow up so they can see me as an adult..." And then he trailed off, realizing maybe he'd never grow up after all.  
  
Oblivious to that, Midori humphed. "Oh, come on. That's bull and you know it. You got a team of unruly schoolgirls to follow you to another world and save it against all odds. How can anyone say they don't have any authority after achieving that?"  
  
"That was never my intent," Negi answered sorrowfully. He was mildly impressed Sugiura knew so much, but then, during his first week there, Itoshiki had told him she knew about magic. Which posed the question ... "Sugiura-sensei, if you don't mind my asking ... how were you introduced to magic?"  
  
"Oh, that? I was adopted by an old priest who was knowledgeable on the subject. Later, a kindly couple of muggles took charge of me and gave me their family name, but by then I already knew all I had to know about this world. Grampa then used his influences to get me my beloved job here at Mahora."  
  
Negi frowned a little. "Please don't call them muggles. I find that term disrespectful."  
  
"Seriously? I think it sounds better and less humbling than 'mundanes', which seems to imply some inferiority. While 'muggles' is just a cute term taken from a book for children."  
  
"Eeehhh! Not only for children! My sister loves the series, too!"  
  
Midori laughed. "Sorry, sorry! I'm just meaning, once you live through the real thing, books seem childish by comparison, don't you agree?"  
  
After a moment, he nodded. "Yes. You got a point there."  
  
They worked in relative silence for the next three hours, and Negi was reminded Sugiura-sensei, despite her quirks, could be impressively efficient when she put her mind to something. Even half-drunk as she still was, she hammered a working timeline and schedule with no problems, and assigned roles with apparent accuracy, even pointing out a few mistakes he had made during his time working alone. He promptly apologized, making her chide him again, which of course made him apologize again, prompting a mildly exasperated "What are we going to do with you? That Asuna-san really has the right idea about getting on your case."  
  
"Sorry!"  
  
She shot him a stare.  
  
He smirked angelically.  
  
She rubbed her knuckles on his scalp. "Oh, you're doing it on purpose now, aren't you?!"  
  
He giggled lightly, making her smile in turn.  
  
"Maybe," she said softly, "there's still some hope for you."  
  
And his face, against her expectations, turned somber again. "Maybe."  
  
She frowned. "Negi," for the first time, she dropped the honorifics, just so he could realize how serious she was. "Why are you that way? Why do you have to? You should be a happy child. I know you had a difficult childhood, but so did Inugami-kun, and he can have fun and enjoy his life! Every time we're in a reunion, everyone is so full of life and enthusiasm -- Taiga-chan, Mitsuru, Yukari, Nyamo-chan, Hinako-chan, Sakomizu, Nekomome-chan, hell, even Touko, in her own way. I mean, even she has a social life, and can drink a little when we gather. I know only two people in the staff who are more depressed than you, Itoshiki and Takamichi, and we both know those two have real issues."  
  
"Hey! Takamichi doesn't have issues!"  
  
"Yes, he does. He has a whole collection including swimwear specials, all leatherbound and stacked on neatly arranged shelves. Even Nitta isn't as bad! What I'm trying to tell you, Negi, is we all care about you. Your colleagues, your students, the family you have left. You should consider yourself lucky over that, not to mention you could kick all our combined asses. I'd kill for something like that! So cheer up already! You saved the world, you're Mr. Popular, you're badass and you know it! You even got your mother back! I won't complain about my adoptive family, but do you know how much I long I could ever get to meet my real parents? Hmmm?"  
  
"I'm not sure I deserve any of that, though," he said, looking elsewhere.  
  
"Why the hell not? You're a hero! What else could be expected from you? What impossibly high standards do you keep for yourself?"  
  
He rubbed his eyes. "Sorry, but ... I can't talk about that. Maybe I'd better leave."  
  
She grabbed him by an arm. "Oh hell no! No way you can be any worse than me, and look at me, I still persevere! I'm the worst! I'm an irresponsible slob and a loser, and yet I keep putting on a smile and forge on! So can you!"  
  
"I -- I place all my students in danger!"  
  
"So do I!"  
  
"No, you don't!"  
  
"Yes, I do!" And with that, much to his horror, she lifted her left leg all the way up, showing him a small mark with the form of the sign of Aries on her ankle. Not to mention her panties, since she was wearing a short skirt. "Do you see this? This is the mark of a Magical Princess, and I lead other girls on unsanctioned hunts of lethally dangerous monsters that invade this Academy to prey on us! Do you get it now, kid? I have that responsibility on my shoulders, all on my own, and I still can't help being a drunk slacker! Yet I don't blame myself like you, who are much better than me!" She actually sniffed for a moment. "Oh God, I'm a loose mouthed idiot, am not I? Talking more than I should just because I take pity on a cute kid ... when I prefer older men anyway!"  
  
"Bwaahh?" Negi said.  
  
"Nothing!"  
  
He shook his head, more to clear his rattled mind more than anything else. "S-Sugiura-sensei! Is that, is all of that true?"  
  
She looked at her feet and mumbled, "Every word, yeah. I hope you're feeling better now, because that's the sole reason I told you any of this! That, and I think I'm still a bit tipsy ... shouldn't have come after all ..."  
  
"But, but you should tell the Headmaster!"  
  
"It wouldn't do a damn thing. No one but us can see, hear or destroy those monsters. Not even you."  
  
He actually glared at her.  
  
"I mean it!" she said. "It's pointless, and it'd only make our job much harder. Look, why don't we just forget this happened and go our separate ways now?"  
  
"I can't do that."  
  
"Why? Because saving the world must always be your responsibility? I told you to cut the martyr complex! The sole reason why you don't fly to Metropolis to try and take over for Superman-sama is because you can't!"  
  
"But I could!"   
  
"Oh, please, kid! I'm getting really pissed off at you ... now ..."  
  
He had just changed into his lightning form before her, making the woman back away with a terrified scream. After a moment, he changed back, and Midori panted in subsiding terror, her back stuck to a wall.  
  
He looked contrite now. "My apologies if I scared you. Since you showed me, I felt I had to --"  
  
"My God, kid," Midori breathed out. "What... What happened to you?"  
  
"I'm a monster, Sugiura-sensei. In more than one sense."  
  
He began weeping, until she reached over with a hand and tenderly caressed his cheek. Her voice sounded tremulous, but still sincere. "No. Negi, you aren't a monster. That's ...That's quite cool, actually, you just startled me, that's all! Please, please don't cry..."  
  
She held him against herself for a moment until his sobs stopped, then patted his shoulders. "Let's go outside. To get some fresh air."  
  
He had to nod. "Thank you. You're very kind."  
  
"Actually, why don't you call your mom and tell her you're going to be a little late? There are some nifty places I'd like to show you. Places I go when I want to feel better."  
  
He looked dubious. "What ... what kind of places?"  
  
She grinned and rubbed his hair. "That'd spoil the surprise!"  
  


* * *

  
  
She insisted that he take an age deceiving pill to make himself look like an adult before heading downtown, and now he could see why. While none of the places they had visited had been too seedy or suspicious, they were places where liquor was consumed, and she certainly was not shy about continuing drinking. She'd even offered him a glass or two, but he had refused the first and only took sips from the other. Not only did he still remember far too well the time he had accidentally gotten himself drunk with Nitta before Mahorafest, but he truly disliked the taste she seemed to favor so much.  
  
Those places had all seemed rather boring to Negi, though, even if he didn't saying it aloud. He had to admit there was a certain measure of satisfaction found in defending Midori's, um, "honor" when a drunk man tried to molest her in one of those bars, but Negi had to admit he had gone too far after punching the fellow through a window. A heartfelt apology and payment for the broken window later, and Negi left, embarrassed, with a laughing Midori embracing him and a small crowd cheering for him. It felt right, in a way, but that was what made it feel so wrong.  
  
Growing up was a very complicated thing.  
  
He had found the visit to the karaoke bar to be much more interesting. Misa had often teased him about taking him there, but for one reason or another, their agendas never coincided for it, so this was his first visit to such an establishment. Being a gentleman, he let the lady take the first turn, and as he watched Midori take the small stage, he had to admit she made for quite an attractive presence. In the merely appreciative sense a gentleman would devote to a respected colleague, of course. He wasn't admiring the way her tight clothes clung to her curvaceous body. Or the way her red mane moved around with her graceful, even through her inebriation, agility. Or how she occasionally would cock her hips suggestively his way. He tried to focus on her singing, and crossed his legs so the troubling hardness between them wouldn't be noticeable at all. He would have to look for alternate solutions to it, since he could not possibly run to Mother for sex every time it happened.  
  
"Your turn now." She handed him the microphone with a wink, and he nodded, selected a song from the light, and began singing, putting his best into it.  
  
 _"Hikaru kaze wo oikoshitara. Kimi ni kitto aeru ne. Atarashii kagayaki HAPPY READY GO!!"_  
  
Midori's face lost all color.  
  
All of a sudden, dogs all over Mahora City began to howl in abject pain.  
  
Somewhere else, The Joker stopped laughing.  
  
The windows all up and down the street started to gain slight cracks on them.  
  
Flying high above Switzerland, Superman took both hands to his head and crashed down against the Alps. He was late to breakfast with Lois Lane.  
  
People ran out of the adjacent karaoke booths in horror, screaming their heads off about the end of the world.  
  
Blissfully oblivious, with the air of a self-absorbed Apollo singing praises to the glory of Olympus, Negi kept on singing for the duration of the lyrics, by which point Midori was reduced to tears, not to mention a slight nosebleed.  
  
Negi smiled brightly at her, more animated than he had looked during the rest of the night. "Ah, that was good! Shall we go for a duet, Midori-sensei?"  
  
Too shocked to even notice he wasn't using her family name anymore, Midori was about to excuse herself for the restroom when she saw a trio of girls through the window, walking for the karaoke bar's front door. Yelping, she grabbed Negi and ran with him through the back door, amidst the relieved sighs of management, seconds before Kakizaki Misa, Kugimiya Madoka and Shiina Sakurako all walked in, dressed in her best street clothes, and loaded with bags full of well-spent allowances.  
  
"Aaaand here we are!" the purple haired Misa cheered. "Hey, isn't the place kinda deserted tonight?"  
  
"Maybe it has to do something with the people we saw running down the street, screaming incoherently?" the short haired Madoka guessed.  
  
Sakurako sniffed the air. "Don't you guys kinda catch the smell of that cologne Negi-kun douses himself with when he hasn't showered?"  
  
Discreetly peeking in through a back window, Negi gasped aloud, then backed away very fast, taking Midori with himself as they raced down the street. They didn't stop until they reached a small park, where they sat together on a bench near the duck pond.  
  
"That was close, wasn't it?" Midori chuckled, rubbing her nose with a tissue.  
  
"Yes," Negi exhaled.   
  
"Imagine those girls' reactions at seeing us on a date," Midori said wistfully.  
  
"Yes, they would have ... hey! W-we weren't on a date!"  
  
She smiled and played with his hair. "No, regretfully, no. Oh, if only I were seven years younger ..."  
  
He cringed a bit as she leaned closer to his adult body, feeling her soft warm breathing against his neck. "Midori-sensei ... what ..."  
  
"You're the guy I always wanted, just younger than I'd have wanted," she confided him, with that eerie air Negi had come to recognize from females falling in love with him. And drunks. Horror of horrors, she seemed to fall into both categories. "Have I ever told you about the man I loved? The one I made my wish for?"  
  
"N-No. Who was he?"  
  
"Don't be jealous, silly," she pinched his nose. "He was my archaeology teacher, one Noriyasu Seta. Recognize the name?"  
  
"Do I!" Negi gasped. "The world famous explorer who found the Pararakelse ruins!"  
  
"Exactly. You know he got lost for several weeks during that expedition, right? My wish when I became a Magical Girl was for him to appear alive, and whaddaya know, the next day, he was found alive and well in the jungle. Hah! I should have wished to marry him, instead, because then, he went on to marry his American assistant, and I never even got tell him." She sniffed. "So I swore, next time I really liked a guy, I'd tell him from the start."  
  
"Th-That's probably for the best. I wish you the best of luck when you --"  
  
"Yes, next time I really like a studious, hard working, cultured, badass, hot guy, I'll tell him outright! Then I'll take him to a love motel and fuck him wild and hard all night long!" She emphasized her point by slamming a fist on her other hand.  
  
Negi blushed. "Muh-Mi-Midori-sensei, maybe we should head back ... Mother and Chisame will --"  
  
"Fuck your mother and Chisame," she slurred, placing her face right before his. "I think ... I think I really like you, Negi-kun ..."  
  
"Eeeeeehhhhhhhhhhh!"  
  
And her lips came crashing against his.  
  
The next few minutes were kind of a blur for both of them. Maybe that taste of alcohol had affected him more than he had thought. It was something to look into, if it meant a possible shortcoming of his new state's invulnerability. Regardless, what little Negi would later remember of those haze-filled minutes included being pulled by Midori down several streets until they reached a building oddly called 'Nabe Nabe Love Hotel'. Nice little place, even if the decoration was a little gaudy and the manager behind the counter reminded him too much of a seedier, female Tosaka-san for his comfort.  
  
A hurried dragging up some stairs later, he was naked and standing behind an also nude Midori, who had just supported her hands on the closed window's glass, her bare feet planted far apart from each other, her round buttocks sticking up, allowing him a view of the tiny ring of her anus and the wet vagina underneath.  
  
Negi gulped and remained where he was.  
  
"Well?" the woman asked. "We've gone this far. No turning back now. Aren't you a brave hero?"  
  
"I, I don't consider myself as such." He licked his dry lips, trying to find any sense into any of that. "Won't people see you like that? At least, at least close the curtains, and then dress up and let's leave before we do anything we may regret."  
  
"Neeeegiiiiii," the woman moaned. "C'mon, I swear I'll be gentle. For your first time, it's better to be with a caring, experienced older woman than falling into a misstep with one of those grabby students, don't you think?"  
  
He rubbed the back of his neck with a hand. "Well, about that, um, I'm not sure how to explain it --"  
  
She gave him a back look over her shoulder. "Oh God, don't tell me you'd prefer to do it with Inugami-kun. Although judging from that stiff big stick, I'd say I haven't left you indifferent."  
  
"N-No, you haven't. That's why I'm so reluctant about this --"  
  
"Why? Because you're afraid you might fall in love with me? How flattering!"  
  
"I'm being serious!"  
  
"So am I!"  
  
A long tense silence followed.  
  
"Fuck it," Midori grunted through clenched teeth. "Fine, maybe you're right and this is a horrible mistake I'll regret as soon as I'm sober. I couldn't live with myself knowing I stole an innocent child's virginity. Get me my panties, I think I tossed them over the --"  
  
"No, I'm not an innocent," he lamented. "Not anymore, so don't feel bad about yourself. That's what I meant when I said I was a monster."  
  
She looked back at him again. "WHAAAA?! What kind of lascivious monster could ... okay, I shouldn't have said that, all things considered ... but still, what kind of girl could take advantage of you without being drunk off her ears, or --?"  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it." Doing that had been what gotten him into the situation with Misora and Cocone after all.  
  
She stared at him, suspiciously. "There's been more than one girl, hasn't there?"  
  
"Ah?! How did you --!"  
  
"Your guilt is written all over your face in neon lights! That's not the anguished face of a rape victim, that's the guilty face of a recurring offender!"  
  
"... three," he sheepishly admitted.  
  
"Three times, or three girls?"  
  
"-- three girls --"  
  
Midori huffed and reassumed her former position. "Well, goodbye guilt complex, then. I tell you, kiddo, you're even more screwed up than I thought, but I suppose that means we're a perfect match. So just fuck me already, because my cunt damn itches for some of that big fat filling cock."  
  
Such language. Mother would have been proud. Still ... "My point still stands, what if someone sees you?"  
  
"That's part of the charm, kid. Not like there are many crossing this street at these times, not like anyone making the rounds around this district at this time will belong to the staff or faculty, and what do you care anyway? No one will recognize you in that form. If anything, I'm the one risking everything."  
  
"But I don't want you to risk anything!"  
  
"But I do! That's part of the thrill of living for me! That, and fucking, so fuck me already!"  
  
"But, but like this? I mean, don't we need some of those, how do you call them, those things in Health Classes, the ones men put on to --"  
  
"It's okay! I'm on the pill!"  
  
"What pill?"  
  
Midori felt like banging her fists on the window. "How can you still be so ignorant on the subject after fucking three girls? I hope they were more careful than you. The pill to prevent getting pregnant, boy!"  
  
"Ahhhhh!" A beat. "Wait, why you'd take those, if you didn't know --"  
  
"Because I fuck around a lot, and that's something some older girls do, Negi." She was really trying to sound patient. "Now, when a lady, even a slutty one, asks for something, her gentleman delivers."  
  
He swallowed. While it was a relief knowing he wouldn't have to worry about pregnancies this time, the angry face of Chisame appeared in his mind yet again, now joined by Misora's face. But Chisame was his sister, and Misora ... well, Misora was understanding, he told himself, before setting his big hands on Midori's buttocks and then pushing his large meat into her, making her moan aloud.  
  
Moments later, what she'd expected to be a pleasant diversion at best had rapidly developed into one of the best sexual encounters she'd had all year. Or possibly within the last few years.  
  
"Fuck me," she said as he pumped down into her while her hips rocked beneath him, ankles crossed behind his tight butt. "Fuck me fuck me fuck me fuck me!"  
  
Negi obliged her, though his own enjoyment of the encounter was muted, even more than it normally would have been with the age-changing pill active in his system. Still, he was glad that she'd insisted on using them. He didn't really enjoy being a fetish object for his youth.  
  
And so here she was, with her tits pressed up against the window and her butt thrusted up against him, so that anyone in the street could see her being pounded from behind and loving it, loving his cum on and in her, glad that she had been on the pill so he didn't need a rubber and could spray that milky white goodness up into her unprotected womb. Although, now she thought about it, she was not too sure of how many days ago she had taken her latest one. She'd been going through kind of a dry spell, lately, which probably helped to explain why she had been so --  
  
"Urragh!" she cried out as one more surge of bliss surged up from below, a few seconds before a sweet load was dumped into her cunt. For a few moments, they just remained tightly together, in their lewd embrace, breathing heavily.  
  
"I haven't been fucked like that since grade school," Midori finally murmured. For some reason, she could feel some sort of strange sensation of deja vu.  
  
Negi lifted his head so that he could look down at her, startled. "What?"  
  
"No, no, not really, 's just something I saw in a movie once," she explained as they separated and she reached for a towel from one of the baskets to clean herself up a bit. "When I'm really feeling good, I say shit without thinking about it, sometimes. You know how it is. Like when you called me Chisame while nearing climax."  
  
Negi swallowed. "I-I did? I didn't realize I'd done that. I'm sorry."  
  
"It's okay," she said, absently, checking the clock. Huh, still not even midnight. "She's the one who jumped you first?"  
  
"No!" he said, then looked away guiltily. "We haven't ever done ... it. She's far too precious to me."  
  
Midori stared at him.  
  
He gasped. "Of, of course, after this, you're also precious to me, you'd have to be, it's just, doing this with her would hurt her, while ... while ..."  
  
"While I can take it fine," she philosophized, somewhat sadly. She took another look at his penis, which much to her surprise was still erect enough, and regaining stiffness on top of that. "Round two?"  
  
"I have been told ... I apparently have remarkable stamina, but I'm not sure we should --"  
  
"What's the difference now?" she mused, falling to her knees before him. "Round two, then," she said, and began sucking him. Negi's protests dissolved into pleased gasps.  
  
Then they made good use of the mattress. And the shower. And the floor, although by then, he had sweated so much the effect of the pill had been purged out of his system, and he shrank down to his normal size as he rode her on the carpet. Even more embarrassed now, he apologized and tried to pull out, but she only clutched him tighter against her, crying "Spill your kiddy seed in my grown-up twat!"  
  
So he did.  
  
So much for not being an object of Shotacon fetishism. Oh well.  
  


* * *

  
  
He tip-toed into his residence, hoping he didn't smell too much of her. He doubted Chisame and Satomi would notice, but Mother and, especially, Chamo, concerned him greatly on the subject. Much to his relief, Chamo was not in sight anywhere, which probably meant he was out partying again. And Mother slept soundly with Satomi in the lower bunk, both embracing in a way that brought a hard knot to his throat. Amongst other things that were mortifying him to no end now. Chisame grumbled angrily something about him as she slept above their heads.  
  
 _"We... We'll remain in contact, won't we?" Midori had asked him before parting ways. "I mean, we have to, being colleagues, and still having so much work to do together ... but ..."_  
  
 _He had to nod. What else could he do? "Of course. Uh... Thanks for everything, Sugi-- Midori-sen-- Midori. It was..." He paused, before finding the right word. "... overpowering."_  
  
 _She smiled, again with the same strange vague sadness, and kissed him deeply before walking away into the night._  
  
Negi now sniffled, slipped into his pajamas, and took hold of his futon, swearing to himself he'd stay there for the whole night that time.  
  
He woke up hours later, on the floor, at the feet of the lower bunk, with a slap mark on his face and blinking in confusion. Looking up, at the state of disarray of the bedsheets next to Chisame, he could deduce he had been slapped down from there. But why? Chisame didn't seem to bother anymore when he ended up sleeping at her side, so --  
  
Then something occurred to him, and his blood seemed to become cement.  
  
With her back to him, facing the wall, pretending to sleep, Chisame cringed and trembled.  
  
Misora? That red-haired teacher? Why had he murmured their names in a dream?  
  
WHY?!  
  
Giving an even better impression of sleeping, Princess Arika took a detailed mental note of the incident.  
  
Curiouser and curiouser...  
  


* * *

  
  
**Next:** Negi.


	7. Period Six: Negi

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

 

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

_Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

_The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi_ and all related elements and characters belong to Tanigawa Nagaru and Kadokawa Shoten.

All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for writing most of this chapter, except for the Epilogue, the Haruna/Asuna scene (which still owed heavily to his version) and the Nodoka/Yue scene. Just like SCM and me wrote chapters for his version, he's graciously accepted to let me use some material he wrote in this version. You're the man, Dark!

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

 

 

* * *

       

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**   

* * *

 

**Period Six: Negi.**

* * *

  _Eleven Years Ago:_  
  
"It's a girl," the nurse told Nekane.  
  
To her eyes, filled with tears, the baby looked so much like her father, or at least like the old, graying photos of her father as a baby the family kept in the album. But not enough to make Nekane forget that she was not the baby boy her father had wanted. Her father had mentioned often he was hoping for a son as his firstborn from his beloved, and even if Nekane was not said beloved, her emotional heart, against her rational mind's dictates, had still held to the hope that situation could change if she was the one to give him that elusive son. And now she realized she had not even thought of any names for a baby girl.  
  
None came to her mind, actually. Her father -- that is, the man Nekane had grown to recognize and love as her father for years -- already suspected and dreaded the truth, and while he carried himself as best as he could for the sake of the girl he, too, had come to love as his own, it was clear he didn't think it would be wise to keep the child. Especially not if the horrors of his suspicions turned true. The people of the village would keep talking regardless, but he could bear the speculations about the identity of the mysterious father to his daughter's child. What he, or the rest of the family for that matter, could not bear was the exposure of the most likely truth. War hero or not, he would be attacked at first sight, and so would the rest of them, all of whom were much weaker. It had been bad enough when the Cobblepot branch was all but forced to move to America with their deformed bird child.  
  
This baby girl was not deformed at all, and if she was anything like the rest of the family's darkest secrets, her origins would not harm her intellect either. Even the bird child, from what Nekane could gather, had become a successful if legally questionable entrepreneur on the American West Coast. But that would not protect her from the social stigma, the shame, the persecution. And besides, Nekane knew her father (again, her publically admitted father) did not consider her fit to care for a child just yet, regardless of their parentage. Nekane supposed he was right on that subject as well.  
  
So she cried and held the crying infant she could not keep against herself, tightly. "I'm sorry," she told her. "I'm so sorry that I never could be your mother, Anne."  
  
Funny, in a way, how the name had come to her at that moment. It was the name of the protagonist of a book Nekane liked a lot, and when the Cocolovas, graciously and generously as was their norm, stepped in to take care of her child, they allowed her to keep the name, after an alteration. It had to be a Russian name, after all, or the townsfolk would suspect.  
  
They even tasked her with being Anya's babysitter, and Nekane's broken heart began to mend itself.  
  
Then Nagi and his new wife showed up again, now with a child of their own. A son.  
  
The son Nekane could not provide.  
  
Once again, the perfect Princess had outdone her without even trying. And a deep, gnawing rage began slowly bubbling up inside of Nekane. For the first time in her life, she truly knew the meaning of envy, and jealousy. And after months of struggling with it, with no one to help her fight that internal battle, she succumbed to it.  
  
After they were gone, seemingly forever, Nekane sobered, and with that came the horror, the shame, the regret for what she had done. Now older and hopefully wiser, she decided to look after Negi, to make up to him as best she could. Even if it took her whole life. And then some.  
  
She was still trying to achieve a fraction of what she had imposed upon herself. Even after all Negi had achieved, she was still not satisfied with her parenting, that of both of her children. One of them had basically sacrificed his own chances for a normal life and happiness to help others, most of whom Nekane was sure did not deserve it. The other one was forever doomed to live in his shadow, something she surely resented. Those were the lives Nekane, through action or inaction, had made possible for them. She had failed as both a real and pretend mother.  
  
So, what could she do now?  
  
What, indeed?  
  

* * *

   
 _The Present Day_ :  
  
That morning, things seemed more or less overall the same as always in Classroom 3-A. Kaede sat taking a nap, but since she tended to be quiet and her eyes were always "closed" anyway, no one noticed the difference. Skuld and Hakase took extensive notes on everything. Evangeline stared out the window indolently. Fuuka and Fumika discreetly traded notes discussing what would they do on their next date after classes. A bird sat on top of Zazie's head chirping musically.  
  
Yes, the same as always.  
  
Yet the whole world felt completely different to Chisame now. The memory of last night's incident wouldn't leave her head no matter what, and how could it? Should she confront Negi about it? The brat probably wouldn't even know what she was talking about, and even if he did, he'd only freak out and deny anything. Okay, come to think about it, it wasn't that strange he had mentioned that teacher's name, since they had been hammering out preparations for the Festival all evening long. Kasuga's case was much harder to explain, and the smug way Kasuga was smiling whenever Chisame looked her way only made things worse, but surely there was a perfectly logical and reasonable explanation for that.  
  
Yeah, right.  
  
Still, sooner or later, even if there was nothing fishy about any of that, and it was all just a huge misunderstanding, he'd wake up one of these days to feel his ... hardness ... himself. She needed to be ready for that. But with all the recent events, she had completely forgotten to study the books Shiori-sempai and Haruna got for her, and not only did she know that Haruna would ask about it as soon as they were alone, but she'd also have to return the books in just a couple of days. And Arika-sama would be furious if she learned she had not met her homework requirements.  
  
Chisame grunted to herself. Why did she have to be scared of that woman, anyway? Oh yeah. Because she was scary as hell.  
  
Telling the other Ministra about any of that, about her parentage, his erections or what he had muttered last night, would only lead to disaster, she was sure of that. Even Sora didn't have enough mental maturity to handle it. On second thought, especially not Sora.  
  
Looking at the pages of her _Neo Horizon_ textbook without actually reading from it, Chisame wrestled with every idea and fear in her mind. Okay, first of all, regardless of how she felt about the concept, she needed to learn more about men's parts and how they worked. Not that she had any actual interest in that sort of thing. She was just doing it to placate a scary-as-fuck woman. Still, it should be easy; she was the Mistress of the Internet, and wasn't the Internet the biggest depository of adult material in the world? And much faster to access and use than all those mortally boring volumes of erotic crap.  
  
Yeah, she could do that, she decided. She'd just let her sprites do the searching for her until they told her of the exact target and where to find it. There had to be something somewhere about how to handle your little brother's first erection. Screw Haruna's manuals and guidebooks. If Haruna liked them, they were more trouble than they were worth.  
  
Her blood froze then, as she felt him standing right next to her. "Chisame-san? Chisame-san, your turn," he gently asked, giving her one of those smiles that were so sickeningly sweet.  
  
"Ah, ah, oh yes, sure," Chisame coughed, standing up with the book open in her hands. "Page 42, right?"  
  
"43," he corrected her. "The third and fourth paragraphs."  
  
"Y-Yes, I knew that. My tongue slipped." She grumbled and began reading in English, occasionally stopping to struggle with one word or another. " _We lived near the whale town, in an old home, um, inherited from our grandfather, who is, was, had been a sailor. Father had just died last year, from a ... a mysterious illness ... but his pension was enough to cover most of our basic needs."_  
  
She took a weary breath in and continued. _"My, my, my ... brother quickly got a job at the Post Office, but I had to stay at school. There was, I mean, were few goats, no, children of my age around, so I led a solitary life for three, errrr, full years. Until one day, we were meeting, no, that is, met by a bearded old man --"_  
  
Negi held a hand up, still smiling. "That'll be enough, Chisame-san. We'll let Misa-san supply the climax of this story. Thanks for your long, hard work. You've come out on top of your previous limitations."  
  
"Oh, um, well, yeah, thanks," Chisame mumbled. Damn his praise. Why should she care about it, or his approval?  
  
"You hit the key point rather well," Negi nodded. "You really have learned how to roll your tongue when handling English. See? All those long sessions of practice had a pay off!"  
  
Wait, why did it all sound so strangely suggestive?  
  
"I look forward to seeing more of you at this performance level in the future."  
  
Even that kind of came out slightly wrong.  
  
"Remember!" he said. "Together, we can do anything! All of us! I'm sure our hard work will bear fruit very soon!"  
  
Chisame couldn't hold herself back anymore as his smiling face came closer. It would have been very comforting to someone who wasn't on the edge already.  
  
"But we still need to keep doing it until you have achieved perfection!" he concluded.  
  
Her? She barely noticed it herself when her right fist balled itself up and flew through the air to meet his face. To be honest, the first things she fully realized were the horrified gasps of her classmates.  
  
Even Asuna's.  
  

* * *

   
Later that afternoon, Chisame found herself seated on a bench near the dorm rooms, face palming. Well, technically, she didn't find herself; that was where Naba Chizuru and Murakami Natsumi found her, by what everyone involved decided to pretend was chance.  
  
"Good afternoon, Chisame-san," Chizuru said politely as she walked up to the depressed looking girl. "One hopes that you're feeling better than you were this morning. When you punched our teacher through a plate glass window."  
  
A set of bushes near the bench quivered for some reason.  
  
"Why did you feel compelled to remind me of what happened?" Chisame asked, still obviously upset.  
  
"Perhaps I am motivated by moral indignation," Chizuru said, giving the matter a certain amount of thought. "Or I may have had other reasons."  
  
 _Quiver, quiver_ went the bushes.  
  
"Anyway!" interjected Natsumi, who found the tone of this conversation to be far too anxious. "What brought that on, anyway?"  
  
"It's typical harem hijinx," Chisame muttered, not meeting Natsumi's eyes.  
  
"No, not really," Natsumi, who had a surprisingly deep understanding of genre. "Generally, that sort of thing is provoked by an action undertaken by the male character, and all Negi-kun did was offer you a compliment on your translation. Right?"  
  
"Okay," Chisame said, leaning back and glaring at the two of them. She had to get at least part of it all off her chest, and those two at least were mildly trustworthy. Anyway, they had it coming for asking in the first place when it clearly was not any of their business. "You're not going to let up until I tell all, are you? It baffles me that I'd confess this, particularly to you two, but still ..." She began to quietly mutter, causing the two of them to lean closer to hear.  
  
So did the bush.  
  
"What?" Yukihiro Ayaka shrieked a moment later as she burst from said bush, leaves tangled all around her golden hair, almost forming a messy crown of sorts. "You fiend, Hasegawa! It's bad enough that you sleep in the same bed as our beloved teacher, but to do so in such a lewd manner as to provoke him to have an erection!"  
  
"Oh, Ayaka. What a pleasant surprise," said Chizuru, smiling warmly.  
  
"Chizu-nee, no one is buying that you didn't know she was there when you started--"  
  
"I don't know what you're talking about, Natsumi-chan," Chizuru said, looming over the petite actress, who promptly zipped her lip.  
  
"Where did you learn how to conceal yourself in the bushes and spy on people, anyway?" Chisame asked. Anything to keep her mind off of the main subject at hand.  
  
"Th-That isn't important at all! I learned it, and that's all what matters!" Ayaka protested.  
  

* * *

  
  Elsewhere, at Yukihiro Manor, Fubuki, the lead maid, stood with her arms folded before a stone faced and sitting Roberta, the tallest of all the servants working at the mansion. A woman with dead cold eyes under thick glasses, whose jaded glare could intimidate anyone in the residence (owners included) but Fubuki. "So, espionage, infiltration, gunplay, knife-fighting, chemical warfare, sabotage and code-breaking. Anything ELSE you have taught Ojou-sama without telling me first that I should know about?"  
  
Roberta went over the demolitions, camouflage, jeep driving, kickboxing and basic capoeira lessons in her head.  
  
"Nothing else at all," she lied, as convincingly as someone used to enduring interrogation under torture in the jungle. (Which, you know, she had. From her native Colombia, to Venezuela, Santa Prisca, Wakanda, Corto Maltese ...)  
  

* * *

   
"I didn't do a damn thing to provoke ... that," Chisame protested, trying her very best to keep from shouting. The class rep was going to attract enough attention all by herself, she didn't need any help. "I mean, he used to curl up against me -"  
  
 _"Ngrgh!"_  
  
"- and my pajama top would get pulled open somehow -"  
  
 _"Raaagh!"_  
  
"- and once one of my nipples was in his mouth -"  
  
 ** _"Nyyahh!"_**  
  
"- and ... but there wasn't any of that, this time," Chisame said, changing pace to stop Ayaka from having some sort of stroke. "He just had a -"  
  
"Boner," supplied Natsumi. "What?"  
  
When they stopped staring, Ayaka regarded Chisame while chewing on her thumb. "There's only one explanation. This must be the dreaded mourning wood. And as you can no doubt guess from the name ... it can be fatal. And thus cause mourning, you see."  
  
"Uh, that's not--" Chizuru started to say.  
  
Chisame had gone pale. "You mean, it's actually ... he's really in pain when that happens?" She hadn't done more than flip through the books on the subject yet, but they seemed more technical than practical for the most part, and she already doubted they'd go into great detail about what the man actually felt, rather going more into the medical causes and effects.  
  
"Yes!" Ayaka confirmed. "Something must be done!"  
  
 _I should say something_ , thought Chizuru. _I should say something now, before things go too far. I should really say something!_  
  
"Yes, something must be done!" Chizuru said.  
  
... oh dear. Maybe her Father's worst habits were rubbing on her even more than she cared to admit to herself.  
  
"Where did you hear about this 'mourning wood', by the way?" Natsumi asked Ayaka, curiously.  
  
"I have trusty sources on everything a woman in love - I mean, pure and sincere platonic love - needs to know to look after the health of a growing young man," replied the heiress. "Believe me, I was informed in depth and without any room for confusion!"  
   
 

* * *

 

   
Back at Yukihiro Manor, Fubuki-san turned to another maid, a busty one with short black hair. "And you, Siesta-san, if I'm not mistaken, have seen fit to inform Ojou-sama about certain aspects of human sexuality."  
  
"She asked, I just told her the simple truth," Siesta shrugged.  
  
"You know Ojou-sama is naive, and she tends to misinterpret things," Fubuki chided her. "Exactly what did you tell her about?"  
  
Siesta scratched the back of her neck. "Well ..."  
  
The other maids stared even but coldly at her. Even the normally friendly and innocent Taeko.  
  
"I just told her what men tend to like," Siesta laughed nervously.  
  
Fubuki had paled just a bit. "I thought you and Saito-san still hadn't --"  
  
Siesta looked aside, trying badly to look innocent. "Ah, what makes you so, so quick to assume that was what I was meant?" She coughed politely, as was her custom when asked about her relationship with the kind but goofy, and rather boyishly perverted, young man who worked at the local market where they often bought supplies. "I'm just talking about family wisdom, passed from generation to generation. Things any young woman looking to please a man someday should know ..."  
  
Taeko had already pulled out a notebook and pen, with bright starry eyes behind her nerdy glasses. "Seriously?" she goofily cooed, visions of the handsome and gentle Hanabishi Kaoru-sempai from her part time college classes filling the thought balloon hanging above her head. All business, Fubuki pulled a needle out and poked the balloon, making it collapse like a modern Hindenburg on a sadly moaning Taeko's head.  
  
"Discuss that, if you must, after duty hours," the busty woman with long dark gray hair chided, before addressing Siesta again. "As for you, we all should hope Ojou-sama doesn't turn any of what she has learned to improper use. As you know, Minako-sama will be coming back next week, and the last thing she needs to see so soon after her recovery is her daughter involved in any shameful situations because of us."  
  
"Despite her youth, Ojou-sama is far wiser than you give her any credit for," Roberta stated, as sparse and serious as ever. "I know she won't put herself into any situations unbefitting her position and dignity."  
  
For a moment afterwards, you could hear a pin falling down in the stillness of the room.  
  
"You just jinxed it," the youngest of the maids, one Fabiola Iglesias, Roberta's sole disciple in the arts of the Terrorist Ninja Maid, commented at the end of that agonizing moment.  
  
Without a single word or alteration of her truly Golgo 13-esque's expression, Roberta instantly caught Fabiola in a tight and painful headlock from behind. Despite having been in front of her only a moment ago.  
  
"I'm sorryyyyyyy!" Fabiola whined for air, kicking wildly.  
  
Fubuki placed two fingers on her own forehead and sighed.  
  
At times like these, she almost missed her days of working with Kogarashi, the Masked Maid Guy.  
  
Don't ask.  
   
 

* * *

   
 _Meanwhile:_  
  
"Asuna-chan, you've got a visit," said Konoka, in shorts, an apron, and a white T-shirt, as she appeared at their bedroom's doorstep.  
  
"If it's Iinchou again, tell her that no, I still don't know where Chisame is, and no, I'm still not going to help her beat her up. Let Negi and her sort it out," her orange haired roommate replied from where she was lying on her stomach on the bed, reading the _Sexy Nude Older Men Monthly_ magazine she had stuck inside a textbook.  
  
"Why would Ayaka-san want to fight Chisame? What do Chisame and my son have to 'sort out'? Also, why are you only pretending to study when in the privacy of your own room?" Princess Arika asked, appearing right next to Konoka.  
  
Asuna sat up as if a spring had pulled her on her butt. "Gah! What, why are you here!?"  
  
"I wanted to talk with you two nights ago, but the inconvenient situation with Emiya-san made it impossible," Arika answered. "I realize you must have several questions about our relationship, but because of the things that have happened since my release, we were never able to discuss them as I would have wanted."  
  
"I'll leave you alone, then," Konoka said with a nod, but the blonde stopped her with a simple gesture.  
  
"There's no need for that," Arika said. "You are part of our family, as well, being Eishun's daughter."  
  
"But --" Konoka began.  
  
Asuna sighed. "She's right, Kono-chan. Stay. I'm not going to start keeping secrets from you now."  
  
"Alright, if you're both okay with it," the Konoe heiress agreed. "Just let me go get some --"  
  
"I'm not hungry, thank you," Arika replied. "Asuna, is there something I should know about Negi and Chisame before we pass to any other subject?"  
  
Asuna grunted. "Oh man. I really think they should be telling you themselves, because we have no actual idea what the heck went down, either. Right, Konoka?"  
  
"Let's just say they had a little fight," Konoka piped in.  
  
"Konokaaaa," Asuna rolled her eyes. "It's hardly a fight when it's only a punch, and it's only one person tossing the other through a window."  
  
"I trust Negi did not punch Chisame," Arika said evenly.  
  
Asuna glared at her. "I know you all but just met them, but by this point, shouldn't you know better?"  
  
Arika held a pointer finger up. "One never should take anything in life for granted."  
  
"Right. You seem awfully calm for someone who has just been told her son has been punched through a window," Asuna pointed out.  
  
"I am well aware that cannot hurt Negi at all."  
  
"Not physically," Konoka intervened. "Emotionally, however, he is very frail. Chisame-san really better have a very good explanation for that."  
  
"I suspect she has one. Don't get me wrong, I will seriously admonish her, but I am all too aware of the great stress and worr she has been through recently. As for Negi's emotional endurance, I suspect strongly he is made from quite sturdier material than you give him credit for, Konoe-san, but that's to be debated later. Asuna --"  
  
"Just spit it out already. What are we to each other?" Asuna muttered. "Cousins, right?"  
  
"In a way, since we share grandparents," Arika slowly said. "But it is more complex than that."  
  
"Try me," Asuna challenged. "I might be a Baka, but I'm reasonably sure I can understand a simple family tree."  
  
"There's nothing simple about our family tree," Arika confessed, which made Konoka raise her eyebrows.  
  
"Oh, please!" Asuna slapped a hand on the mattress. "What's so complicated about a family tree? What, do you have fifteen siblings or something like that? I don't care about that! What I'm curious about is about the relationship you and me, okay, and Negi, share. Okay, once I'd have swooned at the idea of being from a royal family, but you know what? After all I lived through in the Magic World, I learned being a royal is nothing but a drag. No offense intended."  
  
"None taken," Arika replied. "I am all too sadly familiar with the disadvantages of being Ostian royalty. Had I been born a peasant, I doubt that I would have gone through half of the misfortunes that marked my life. But complaining on the subject is pointless."  
  
"That's an easy thing to say when you haven't been born a peasant," Asuna considered. "But let's just cut through the bull already. What's so complicated about our blood relations, then?"  
  
"You have as much of a claim to the throne as I do, since for females, it doesn't matter who was born first," Arika told her.  
  
"What does that have to do with what I asked?"  
  
"Asuna!" Konoka gasped, "Think about it ..."  
  
"Uh-uh. Even if I happened to be Einstein, or worse, Chao, I still wouldn't play along with being talked to in riddles. Who do I look like, Batman? Just be direct or don't bother to talk at all, because I was just fine before knowing any of this, anyway!"  
  
Arika sighed. "Very well. Do you want the truth, the full truth, without any reservations or preparations? You do, don't you? No matter what? You are sure you can assimilate it no matter what, so very well, I will honor your request. The truth is this. The truth is ... you are my firstborn daughter, in addition to being my sister. Because your father happened to be also my own, who took advantage of my youth and used my body as his sexual plaything. So you are Negi's older sister. That is the truth. Are you happy now you have learned it?"  
  
Asuna stared fixedly at her for a moment, with a complete and utter lack of any expression, before squeaking in pain and crumbling down to pieces before her.  
  
"I thought not," Arika said, lowering her head grimly.  
  
"Ah," Konoka said, in a strained eerie tone, her eyes unhealthily big. "Yes ... I can see why you would be so reluctant to share that, now. I think I will go for some snacks and ... and ... and ... and ... and tea. Right now. Yes."  
  
"That probably would be a good idea," Arika agreed. "My daughter needs something to revive her, and frankly, I don't think she would appreciate my usual methods for reanimating those who have fallen into spirit shattering shock."  
  
"Grrrnnnfhhh!" Asuna sputtered, her pieces trembling violently.  
  
Then she began crying.  
   
 

* * *

   
 _And so, that very night..._  
  
"There's nobody else in there, right?" Negi asked as Chisame slowly surveyed the huge bath from its sliding door, wearing her one piece swimsuit.  
  
"Not yet there isn't," she muttered. She almost wished she could have taken the time for a better reading of those books during the afternoon and early evening, but there were too many of them, and it was clear Ayaka would go forward with the plan regardless of her involvement or lack thereof. So she'd just have to go along with it, trust the rich girl to a point, and minimize damage in anything that went past that point.  
  
"What was that?" Negi asked then, snapping her out of her immediate concerns. He had also been worried, since his mother was nowhere to be found. He suspected she had finally gone to tell Asuna everything, but if she had, he feared calling Asuna and Konoka for confirmation only would worsen everything. It was better to wait for her return, and in the meanwhile, he simply could not disobey such an urgent invitation from his other older sister. That he knew.  
  
"I said, no, no, there isn't."  
  
"Oh." He was a bit confused about why she was muttering instead of making direct statements, but this was largely overwhelmed by his appreciation for the fact that, for once, he was not being dragged into their room's small shower for his bath this evening.  
  
Now that they were occupying a public space, surely, surely the prospect that someone might come in at any time would hold Chisame back from her usual habit of tearing off his clothes and scrubbing him with faintly maniacal force. He would be able to splash about to his heart's content, avoiding utterly the need for the soap and other supposedly hygienic products in the bucket that he was carrying.  
  
The fact that she'd been the one to propose this notion was a bit confusing, though. Perhaps he should make a subtle reference to the oddity. "Chisame, why did you ask me to join you in the bath?"  
  
"Well. Um. You see ..." And here she trailed off, looking down at him from behind glasses that were starting to get a little foggy.  
  
"Yes?" he asked.  
  
"Ah, Negi-sensei! What a pleasant meeting!" said Ayaka as she casually strolled in through the door, followed closely by Chizuru and a slightly depressed-looking Natsumi, all dressed in their best swimsuits.  
  
"Eh? Iinchou! Uh, well, hello, this is sort of a surprise, isn't it?" Negi asked, having a terrible feeling of impending doom.  
  
Ayaka started to nod, then paused, and shook her head. "No, Sensei, it's not a surprise. You see, Hasegawa-san told us that you would be here, and we arranged to come here at the same time."  
  
"Ehhh? What, why would you do that?"  
  
And then Ayaka's hands were firmly on his shoulders. "Negi-sensei ... this is an intervention," she announced.  
  
Negi blinked, considering the idea of saying, "Eh" in a confused tone yet again. But the repetition bothered him, so all that he did was gape bewilderedly.  
  
"Hasegawa-san has told us about your little problem, you see, and we want to help you. Isn't that right?" she asked Chizuru and Natsumi.  
  
Natsumi coughed and looked aside, blushing brightly, while Chizuru smiled pleasantly as she nodded. No one could tell that somewhere inside her she was torn between laughing her fool head off and screaming a desperate warning.  
  
He gulped. "She did? Well ... well, thank you, Iinchou, but I really can't possibly accept this kind and well-meant offer. The situation is far too delicate, and I would need to consult Mother on the issue first, you know, because with affairs of this kind, the opinion of all those with a direct stake on it counts, not that I'm saying it's not your business or anything, it's just that Asuna-san --"  
  
"Asuna-san?" Ayaka almost shrieked. "What does she, and your mother, what do they have to do with ... um. I mean, perhaps we should sit down in the bath and discuss this calmly and, and reasonably."  
  
"Well, all right, but I'm not going to --" Negi started to say, turning to walk towards the bath.  
  
"For shame, Sensei!" Ayaka said, stopping him rather forcefully. "I can only shake my head in dismay that your caregivers haven't explained basic bathing etiquette to you, even after all this time. A large number of people will be using that bath, so it's important to get clean before you enter and start to soak!" _It's really happening, it's really happening,_ Ayaka's interior monologue sang. _Oh so glad am I that I started taking that nosebleed medication_. "Let me help you with that!"  
  
Chisame watched, almost dazed by the sheer gall of Ayaka's actions, as the class representative sat Negi down on the portable plastic stool, facing away from her. Without even a momentary hesitation or trace of embarrassment, the tall blonde slid the straps of her Apsaras swimsuit down her arms to expose her surprisingly large breasts, then poured liquid soap on them, and began to work it into a lather, with Negi all unaware of her actions.  
  
Despite herself, Chisame couldn't take her eyes off those boobs, even though she'd seen them before without thinking anything of them. The envy she was feeling was ridiculous, given her own not-exactly-humble endowment. And plenty of people liked her chest just the way it was, given that Chiu routinely beat out much bustier net idols in popularity contests. After all, bustiness was really just a sort of fatness, and people didn't want -  
  
"Um, Chisame-san?" Natsumi said, breaking her somewhat frenetic line of thought. Chisame turned to look at the actress, who kept darting glances at Ayaka's boobs that were possibly even more envious than Chisame's had been. (However, she also glanced that way at Chisame and, of course, Chizuru. Chizuru was cheerfully oblivious as she watched Ayaka lather up, and ... wait, was that a line of drool coming out of her mouth? No, couldn't be.)  
  
"Yes, what, what is it?" Chisame asked, to distract herself more than anything else.  
  
"What did Sensei mean when he said this situation involves--"  
  
"He probably thought she meant something else," she quickly and oh so quietly interrupted. "They're having two conversations at the same time."  
  
"Oh," said Natsumi. Then, "What was his conversation -"  
  
Chisame was about to interject with a shouted, "Look, an UFO!", showing just how desperate the situation was getting, when Natsumi herself broke off and said, "Oh my gosh, she's actually going through with it."  
  
And sure enough, Ayaka had begun to rub her soapy chest up against Negi's back. From the sudden stiffness in the boy teacher's posture, he had quickly realized that something somewhat outside the realm of his experience was happening. "Um ... Iinchou--"  
  
"Please, Sensei," Ayaka interrupted. "Under the circumstances, you should probably call me Ayaka-san."  
  
"Well, um, all right, I suppose a certain amount of informality is understandable under the, um, the circumstances, so, ah, Ayaka-san, uh, what -"  
  
"Ayaka-chan would be nice too."  
  
"Oh, I couldn't possibly -"  
  
"Or even Ya-chan."  
  
"Ya-chan?" Negi asked, confused.  
  
"Ya-chan?" repeated all three of the other girls present.  
  
Ayaka paused, blushing brightly. "Um, why don't we pretend that last bit didn't happen, all right? Because no one has ever called me Ya-chan, and I certainly never called anyone Su-chan, and if I did we definitely didn't kiss that one time under the branches of the tree right after we buried our time capsule, and, and, ummmm."  
  
Chizuru felt a headache coming on, judging by the way that she was rubbing her forehead, or so it seemed to Chisame.  
  
"Oookay," said Negi, glad to be getting away from this strange topic. "Anyway, I can't help but notice that you, you, you don't seem to be using a cloth while you're, um, washing me."  
  
"Very perceptive, Sensei," Ayaka said, also relieved to have that digression ended. "I am not using a cloth."  
  
"Ah. Well, um, forgive me for saying so, Ayaka-san, but is this really, well, I mean, hygienic? Or appropriate?"  
  
"It's very hygienic," she assured him. "This sort of thing is quite common, it seems. There's actually quite a large number of businesses where it is done commercially, or so my sources assure me." (Well, actually, all that Siesta had told her, when she'd asked her whether men really liked being bathed like this, was that there were places where they paid to have it happen. But it followed that there had to be quite a few of them. Simple economics.) "Surely the government wouldn't permit there to be a business where people could become sick from the business?  
  
"And, as to its appropriateness, I think it's very appropriate for us to establish a relationship that accepts contact between our skins, or skinship as it sometimes known. After all, there is so much you do not know about the ways in which people in this country are supposed to behave, and yet there are also so many things that you do know that I don't know, and, and, and therefore -"  
  
She could stand it no more. With surprising strength, she whirled Negi around so that he was facing her, and as his eyes went wide at the sight of her topless body, she pressed up against him, and said, almost singing, "So teach me, Sensei, as I am teaching youuuuu-"  
  
"Ooooo-kayyyy!" said Chisame as she interrupted this fairly directly by shoving Ayaka off of and away from a paralyzed, quivering Negi. The rich girl flew away, landing in the pool with a squawk interrupted by a splash. "That'll be enough of that! The idea was to get him comfortable enough to talk about his problem and--" She broke off, glancing down.  
  
Yep. There it was, lifting up the fabric of his shorts.  
  
"-- annnnd a certain someone has actually caused the problem!"  
  
"This is very embarrassing," Negi said quietly.  
  
"Oh wow," said Natsumi, staring at it as she had not stared at any of the breasts on display. "That's, that's mourning wood?"  
  
"Yes, although it's evening," Chizuru said faintly.  
  
"Eh? What was that?"  
  
"Nothiiiing."  
  
"Does it, does it hurt?" Chisame asked, irritation slowly fading into concern.  
  
"Well, yes," Negi admitted. He would really have preferred to be alone so that he could take down his shorts, which had become rather confining. "But, you know, it's all right, Chisame, it will get better eventually, and -- Chisame? Why are you staring menacingly at me?"  
  
"Because you're doing it again, aren't you?" Chisame growled.  
  
"Doing what?" Negi asked, smiling broadly.  
  
"You're doing that 'I deserve to suffer' thing again! That 'don't worry about my trauma, I'm all right as long as my students are okay' thing again! That incredibly selfish selflessness thing again! God, that thing you do!" Chisame snarled, clenching her teeth in a rather frightening way.  
  
"'Selfish selflessness'?" asked Chizuru, eyebrows raised.  
  
"Like pretending you're not in love with someone because you don't want to risk losing them as a friend," explained Natsumi, who was, as has already been mentioned, rather genre savvy. Then she looked sideways at Chizuru. "Not that _anyone_ here knows anything about that." In addition to being genre savvy, she was a lot sharper than most people realized.  
  
While Chizuru was momentarily incapacitated by an inexplicable bout of coughing, Ayaka surged up out of the pool, the top of her swimsuit still hanging around her waist. "It's not okay, Sensei!" she cried. "Even if it does go down on its own, the toxins remain!"  
  
"Toxins?" Negi asked, starting to look a little frightened.  
  
"Certainly! Just as when you become tired, it is because toxins have built up in your bloodstream, and so is it with this condition! With those toxins, you have to rest to let them run their course, but these ones, the ones that are causing you pain right now, Sensei, they will remain in your system, building up each time, until finally - there is cause for mourning!" Ayaka concluded in a hollow tone.  
  
"And you're sure about this?" Chisame demanded. "This isn't something that you've completely misinterpreted?"  
  
"I am sure!" said Ayaka, who was occasionally in error, but never in doubt.  
  
"I had no idea that such things could happen," Negi said faintly. Ayaka was not the most gullible person in the room, after all.  
  
"Wait, even if that happens, after the whole mess at Ostia, shouldn't that be a moot point anyway, because Negi is now --" Chisame started another objection that was sharply interrupted from the most unlikely of sources.  
  
"Okay, then," said Natsumi, looking as grimly determined as a cute girl with freckles can look. "We've got to do something to help Sensei relieve that pressure, since it's mostly our fault for surprising him like this, right?"  
  
"Well-spoken, Natsumi-chan!" Ayaka praised her.  
  
"Fine. Maybe Theatre Girl is right," sighed Chisame, who had been taught the hard way you never could leave anything to chance when Negi was involved.  
  
"Wait-- Theatre Girl?"  
  
"So we'd better all follow Ayaka's example, and get naked," Chisame said, suiting her actions to her words. She was acutely aware as she did so that Negi was staring at her, eyes almost popping out of their sockets. Apparently, he really did think of her as a girl, not just as a replacement for his older sister. She'd wondered, sometimes.  
  
Very quickly, they were all nude, as was Negi. The relief he'd expected to feel from the release of his burden didn't materialize, though, given the nervousness he felt from his surroundings and the prospect of a horrible death.  
  
"So," said Ayaka. "I think we should janken for who does what, as that seems -"  
  
Chisame ignored her and hesitantly reached out to wrap her small hand around his thing. (She was familiar with several of the slang terms, but refused to even think about them at a time like this.) Her hand bumped into Natsumi's hand, on the same mission. They paused to glance at each other. With almost perfect synchronization, they lowered their hands onto it together and began rubbing.  
  
It felt so freaky to Chisame, even more than doing it with Evangeline and Chachamaru, and of course far weirder than accidentally kissing Satomi, or kissing with Asuna during the Love Potion fiasco. She was touching her own kid brother intimately, and she was well aware of how wrong that was. She knew she would have killed Kodaka if he ever saw him doing this with Kobato, or even with Sora. And in the latter case, she'd have killed Sora as well. But this was different, right? Because she lov -- ah, because it was for his sake, and the circumstances were too unusual, specific and abnormal, and she was going to be a demon just like him anyway, again all for his stupid sake, so the normal rules of human decency and social behavior didn't apply, right?  
  
And it felt so oddly good, too. She heard herself panting slightly, just a little harder than Natsumi.  
  
Negi's breathing also got faster as they rubbed.  
  
"Okay," Chisame asked, swallowing. "Is this, is this good, or bad? You're going to have to tell us, you know, because, well, I have no idea what I'm doing, do you, The--"  
  
"Natsumi," the girl interrupted.  
  
"Right, right, sorry."  
  
"It's very, very good, Chisame," Negi told her. "A lit-little frightening, but very, very good." Not as good as it had been when Mother or Midori-sensei had touched him, but still, good. He was so thankful over having so many great friends and family who went to those lengths to save him. And to think, for a moment, he had suspected Mother and the others had done it for their own pleasure. Shame on him!  
  
 _Arrggh!_ thought Ayaka, wishing she had a handkerchief she could tear at with her teeth. She wanted to be involved in this more than anything, but Negi's thing - his cute thing! - was almost too small for two hands, let alone three! What could she do?  
  
"Try licking it," Chizuru suggested faintly, sitting a little bit removed from the three of them, rather than being pressed up against them. "I've, I've heard that some men like that sort of--"  
  
Ayaka promptly bent down and began to gently lick at the tip of the thing, just above Chisame's hand, making Negi gasp and widening the eyes of the other two girls.  
  
 _How odd_ , Chizuru thought. _I had no idea that I could enjoy voyeurism so much. When I was watching --_ But this was not the time for such thoughts, as Ayaka's tongue swirled around the foreskin like a dancer on stage.  
  
Chisame, a bit stunned that Ayaka was going there and so quickly, jerked her hand away when that tongue brushed up against it. Ayaka promptly seized the opportunity and opened her mouth wide enough to take the thing's head into it, did so, and begin to suck. Natsumi also pulled away as she saw the class rep doing that.  
  
A glance at Negi's face told Chisame that he'd barely even noticed that they'd stopped. _Typical, just typical_ , she thought bitterly. _Doesn't care who's doing what to him as long as --_ And then she saw tears glistening in Ayaka's eyes as she moved her head back and forth, and she throttled the bitterness momentarily. The crazy girl was so painfully happy right now, it almost hurt to watch.  
  
Perhaps Ayaka picked up on all this, for she pulled back, took a deep breath, and spoke. "I'm being very selfish, aren't I? Please ... let us, let us all do it. That's only, only fair, isn't it?"  
  
Chisame swallowed, and opened her mouth to reply.  
  
"Thank you, Iinchou," said Natsumi. As someone had once observed, it paid to be a little more dere than than tsun. Or at least be faster on the draw. In any event, her head was soon bowed beside Ayaka's, both of them licking at the top of the unit, and its tiny hole.  
  
Chisame found herself wanting to scream. There wasn't enough room for all three of them to crowd around the tiny thing, so she was left hanging there, just watching the other two. It wasn't right! And no matter how much she tried to tell herself that this was all for Negi's benefit, it was obvious that the two girls who did have a clear shot at his thing were really really enjoying having that, while she sat back and rubbed her own --  
  
Wait, when had she started masturbating? She was masturbating in front of Negi! Her left hand was down between her legs, rubbing at the bumps and holes and walls there, while her right was pinching one of her nipples, all in front of the little brat! Who was her kid brother! Of course, he didn't notice, the jerk, being wrapped up in what Ayaka and Natsumi were doing to him, not that she wanted him to look at her and see what she was doing for want of him, not that she wanted him and -  
  
Then she felt firm hands resting on her butt.  
  
"Oh, Chisame-san," cooed Chizuru's voice from behind her, as the motherly girl's breasts pressed against her shoulder blades. "That's so sad, seeing you sitting there masturbating like this. It's just not right."  
  
"Well, well, well, I mean, this is all for Negi's benefit, right?" Chisame stammered. "It's not about, uh, me, or -"  
  
"But it's only natural to want to feel good, isn't it?" Chizuru continued to murmur right into her ear as her hands slowly slid from Chisame's buttocks to her hips. "Everyone likes to feel good, after all. It's the most basic of all human urges."  
  
 _Oh, not again_ , thought Chisame with the part of her mind that wasn't busily panicking. _This is just like Haruna beneath Library Island!_  
   
 

* * *

   
It had been a perfectly normal day for Saotome Haruna. Waking up from a steamy dream of ruling over both worlds surrounded by a harem of hot guys constantly making out with each other, brushing her teeth like a good girl, having breakfast with her roommate Ku Fei, attending classes, watching how a classmate punched their teacher through a window, comforting Nodoka and holding Yue back from committing bloody murder afterwards, being stalked by that funny Yuuki-sempai who was kinda cute but too shy for Haruna to bother acknowledging, activities at the Library and Manga Clubs, heading back home, dinner with Ku, surfing the web for artistic references and porn, not necessarily in that order ... typical day, really.  
  
And then Kagurakaza Asuna showed up at their doorstep.  
  
"Ah, Baka Red!" Baka Yellow greeted her, looking away from the martial arts movie in the television. "What nice surprise! Came to spar-aru? Because you got face of one looking for a --"  
  
Asuna gestured with a strangely steady, more like stiff, hand towards the dark skinned Chinese blonde. "Ku-chan. Sorry. Could you leave me alone with Paru for a while? Please?"  
  
Haruna looked up from the laptop and closed it quickly, gulping as she did. "Ah ... Asuna-chan? I swear, no matter what anyone might have told you, I have no pictures of you naked, and I never sold them anywhere. My sister-in-law might, but without any proof, I couldn't --"  
  
"It isn't that, Paru," Asuna said coldly. "I already dealt with that yesterday."  
  
"Ahhhh," Haruna said. "That explains why Ranma called me asking if I knew something about Nabiki-neesan and an accident."  
  
"She'll walk," Asuna promised, then gave Ku a look that meshed well with her recent scary-as-fuck statements. Even being an idiot uber-martial artist and Amazon warrior, Ku got the hint and was intimidated enough to nod quickly.  
  
"I think I go to Cousin Shan Pu's for ramen," she suddenly decided. "She in good mood after... ah, accident of hated rival. Back in two hours!" she promised, slipping out the front door with a dumb giggle.  
  
"Bring something for me!" Haruna called out.  
  
"Dead girls have no need for ramen!" Ku reminded her before walking away very briskly.  
  
The stacked mangaka gulped as Asuna calmly closed the door behind herself. "Look, Asuna, I have no idea why you'd be mad at me, but violence is never the answer. Just look at Chisame; I'm sure Iinchou's going to have her suspended --"  
  
"I'm not here to hurt you, Haruna," Asuna said very tiredly, trembling as she pulled a chair and plummeted her ass on it. "I ... I need your advice, actually."  
  
"You? Looking for advice from ME?" Haruna gasped. "Hold it, are my ears playing tricks on me? Oh, it's about your art style, isn't it? I've told you, your technique is good, it's just you need more dynamism in your figures, and your females leave a lot to be desired compared to your men, although you could say the same about me ..."  
  
"It's about Negi," Asuna sighed. "Well, about Negi and me. But mostly him."  
  
"You're going to help Iinchou against Chisame?"  
  
"Forget Chisame! Or rather, not. Maybe we should tell her. No way she'd stand for something like this," Asuna pondered, chewing on he lower lip. "Maybe, maybe she suspects, and that's why she reacted that way this morning."  
  
"You lost me, Asuna."  
  
The other girl exhaled. "You know how, when I was kidnapped, Sextum and her cronies kept calling me a Princess, right? All evidence pointed to my being related to Arika-sam -- to _that woman_ , and to Negi, didn't they? I mean, even I could see that."  
  
"You're growing more like him, yeah," the bustier girl nodded. "For one, you're becoming just as self-condemnatory."  
  
"This is no joke. Well, today, _that woman_ finally had the courage to come to my room and tell me the truth about it."  
  
"I assume you didn't like what _that woman_ had to tell you."  
  
"Hell no!"  
  
"Let me guess. She made a pathetic attempt to deny any relationship between you, and that makes you feel rejected."  
  
"No! If anything, it was the opposite! I never thought I'd say this, but I'd have preferred a rejection!"  
  
"That bad?" Haruna arched her thick eyebrows. "Get to the point. What was it?"  
  
"She's my mother."  
  
The ahoge on Haruna's hair stood up on end.  
  
"Yeah," Asuna mumbled. "That's not the worst part, however. You done a lot of incest doujin in your life, haven't you?"  
  
"O-Of course I have! Forbidden love is the best kind! But, but what does that have to do with --"  
  
"What's your favorite kind of incest?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? Boy on boy, evidently. I prefer younger men, no offense intended, so brother couples are my usual choice. But I won't shy away from anything ... oh, geez, your mom found some of my doujin in your room and got mad at you?"  
  
"Nah, Konoka keeps your stuff well hidden, and it isn't like I ever read though them." There was no lie in that sentence, since Asuna never bothered to read them. It wasn't necessary to enjoy the pretty pictures while locked in the bathroom. And she hated reading. "What do you think about parental incest? You love it too, don't you?"  
  
"Not my cup of tea, although I can understand Konoka-chan's repressed but evident urges on the subject. If I had a dad like hers, I'd also -- that's it, right? Arika-sama found out about your crush on Eishun-sama, and got angry because he's --"  
  
"MY FATHER ALSO WAS HER FATHER!" Asuna screamed.  
  
"..." Haruna said.  
  
"It's horrible, isn't it? Although I'm sure you find it hot. But wait, there's more! It apparently runs in the blood, because ... no, it's too ugly to even say it!"  
  
"She and ... Negi-kun... are... ?" Haruna made a few quite interesting gestures with her hands.  
  
Asuna nodded a few times, then sniffed. "I don't want to belong to that weirdo family! Also, what if my children with Takahata-sensei are deformed and stupid because of them? I'm never going to forgive them!"  
  
Haruna took a deep breath. "Are you sure that this isn't all the result of some sort of comical misunderstanding of what she said? You're as bad at reading those things as Iinchou."  
  
"Don't compare me to that Shotacon!" Asuna raged. "I knew it! I told Konoka you wouldn't react with any shock, any disgust, any sane reaction! I don't know why she told me to tell you!"  
  
"Maybe because she knows I'm one of the few who will react to the news without running away howling for Arika-sama's ... sorry, _that woman's_ ... blood?" She put a finger on her own chin. "Then again, given my ... unearned reputation as a rumor monger, maybe this is Konoka's subtle way to make sure everyone knows and Ari -- _that woman_ is punished without it being tracked down to you. She's astute like that, our Kono-chan."  
  
"She, she was with us when she told me. I can't believe the nerve of _that woman_ ... no, _that monster_! Narrating her awful story as if it was nothing, traumatizing poor Kono-chan like that!"  
  
"I bet she actually took it a lot better than you."  
  
"Fine! So what if she did? It ain't HER family, lucky her!"  
  
"So what did you do?"  
  
"What else could I do? I punched _that monster_ in the face and told her to go away! She did, and I hope a truck ran her over! One loaded with Twilight fans en route to a convention!"  
  
"Whoa, girl, slow down there."  
  
"Then Konoka told me maybe I was too harsh, that she had been raped when she was a child -- _that monster_ , I mean, not Konoka -- and that rape victims should be pitied and helped, and that those experiences often shaped them ... but that's just Konoka being soft hearted! What the heck would she know about the subject!"  
   
 

* * *

   
In the now deserted bedroom she shared with Asuna, Konoe Konoka cried into her pillow.  
   
 

* * *

   
"-- and after consoling me as best as she could, she pointed me here," Asuna seethed as she sipped from the tea Haruna had just brewed for her. "I know your answer, but what do you think?"  
  
"I think you should call the police."  
  
"Bweh?"  
  
Haruna nodded. "I'm no puritan. You know that as well as anyone. You won't ever find me raging about the eeeevils of incest in fiction, and hell, not even in reality ... but only as long as both participants know what are they getting into. Hell, if my brother ever propositioned me for a horizontal tango, I'd take him on it, because he's a damn fine piece of hot ass."  
  
"Haruna!" Asuna blushed.  
  
"But Negi-kun is different. He's only a kid, and even if your mom was a kid when she was raped, that doesn't justify her doing the same now and perpetuating a cycle of abuse. Because that's what it is, abuse. Besides, the bitch stole Nodoka's chance to be Negi-kun's first, and now odds are she'll fall for Kotaro-kun, that little bum. Unless I can pull a save and hook her up with Yue. Come to think about it, it shouldn't be too hard ... but I digress. So yeah, I'd gladly stand at your side through this."  
  
"But ... but ... but monster or not, she's still my mother! I can't finally find my mother just to send her to the slammer! Also, I'd break Negi's heart!"  
  
"So you admit he's the victim here?"  
  
"*I* am the victim!" Asuna yelled. "Okay, and I guess him too. Damn brat's too naïve to know when he's being manipulated. It's gross, really ..."  
  
"Cool," Haruna extended her a cellphone. "So let's call ... I don't know, maybe resorting to the police right now, without any proof, is a bad move, but if Konoka hasn't told him yet, the Headmaster should know ..."  
  
Asuna's shaky fingers reached for the phone, but then she pulled them back. "I ... I think I should talk with Negi first."  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Because, because, naïve or not, there's no way she could have gotten him if he hadn't let her! Negi's too strong and fast for any of us but Eva! Okay, I can understand he wouldn't hurt her, but fleeing is always an option!"  
  
"Is it?" Haruna wondered. "Negi-kun's emotionally vulnerable and dependent as heck. Not all domination needs to be physical."  
  
"Maybe, but just to be sure, I want to talk with him and Chisame before taking any step."  
  
"You're afraid."  
  
"I have damn good reasons to be! And while we sort this out, I don't want you telling anyone about it! This is a family matter!"  
  
Haruna sighed as she held a hand to her heart. "Sworn on the honor of the Saotome family."  
  
"Like, your brother's honor, or your father's 'honor'?"  
  
" **MY** honor," Haruna said, sounding scarily intense. She shook her head. "You're as emotionally vulnerable as your little brother is, Asuna. You'll fall for it as easily as him. I already can see it."  
  
"Screw that, Paru!"  
  
"I'm serious. If you really were against that, you'd have taken on my offer. Because if you don't strike while the iron is hot, you never will. These things cannot and should not be delayed. But you're so desperate for the family you never had, you'd do anything for --"  
  
"Like hell!" Asuna stood up and turned for the door. "Remember! Saotome Promise!"  
  
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, have fun. And remember to invite me while you're doing it."  
  
Asuna slammed the door behind herself as she stomped out.  
  
Haruna sighed and took the final sip from her tea.  
  
 _Poor Nodo-chan,_ she thought.  
 

* * *

_Back to the Baths:_  
  
There'd been a few rumors about Naba, and Chisame couldn't help hearing them. Frankly, she'd been inclined to dismiss them, thinking that they'd gotten her confused with a certain similarly named Student Council President, who did things that encouraged those sorts of stories. But now they were naked together, and Chizuru's hands were moving down Chisame's hips, and there didn't really seem to be any possible doubt that her intentions were --  
  
And then Chizuru made her intentions perfectly clear, and while they were apparently somewhat different from what Chisame had been expecting, that wasn't much of a comfort. For her intention appeared to be to pick Chisame up and hold her in mid-air as she stood up and walked over to Negi's head.  
  
 _How in the hell is she this strong?_ Chisame thought bewilderedly. She was too terrified to try and wiggle free, much less voice a protest.  
  
"Oh, Negi-kuun," Chizuru cooed as she reached her destination. "It's very selfish to just lie back and let people do things to you. Now, sometimes very selfish people can be lovable nonetheless ... but you don't want to be that sort of person, do you?"  
  
"Uh, uh, well," Negi managed to get out.  
  
"Of course not," Chizuru agreed, having learned that it was easiest to get people to agree when they had no idea was going on and distracted by other matters. A very selfish but nonetheless lovable person had taught her that. And now she put that theory into practice by slowly lowering Chisame's hindquarters towards Negi's face. "So you need to start doing unto others," she told him.  
  
"Wait, no, this isn't, this is all for him, not for --!"  
  
"Mm-hm, shut up, dear." She pressed Chisame's vulva to his mouth. "Start licking, Negi-kun. Actually, you might also want to try tilting your head back so that your tongue can reach the little starfish that's just behind this - you're looking at it, right? She'll really like that."  
  
"What are you telling him to dooooo?" Chisame protested as Negi began to follow Chizuru's advice.  
  
"I would think, after having him live with you for so long, that you'd enjoy having him be a bit of a kiss-ass, Chisame-san," Chizuru murmured coolly, and just loud enough for Chisame to hear.  
  
 _Gahhhh!_ Chisame thought. More coherent observations temporarily escaped her.  
  
 _Gahhhh!_ Ayaka thought, watching this from below as she licked at the unit while Natsumi experimented with sucking. However, her observations quickly achieved coherence. _That lucky wench, to be licked in that manner by Negi-sensei's cute tongue! And the betrayal, too!_ The way that Chizuru had just gone and picked Chisame up and carried her about, and was now pressed up against the other girl, and whispering into and maybe even licking her ear, and and and why were her thoughts going in this direction?  
  
 _Wow,_ thought Natsumi, with what even she realized was unusual coherence. _Chisame is really enjoying herself. Having a boy do that to you must feel really, really good, if someone so usually frowny-faced is liking it that much._ The hand that wasn't below her lips, on Negi-sensei's dick - for Natsumi had no objection to slang - crept down between her own legs to start petting her kitten.  
  
 _Gahhhh!_ Negi thought. _It's, it's about to, I should really warn them, somehow, but, but my mouth, it's full, and, and - gahhhh!_  
  
Just as Natsumi relinquished her liplock on the top of his thing to begin sliding down the right side of it, carefully avoiding bringing her tongue into contact with the Class Rep's tongue, it convulsed, before shooting forth, in quick succession, three torrents of a gooey white substance up into the air, from whence it rained down on all five who were gathered closely together at the side of the pool.  
  
 _This is Sensei's semen. It's really happening!_ thought Ayaka as some of the fluid dripped into her mouth. And then she thought it again, and again and again and again. The words ran around inside her skull, capering madly and laughing their figurative heads off. All the while, she crouched there with a very odd smile on her face.  
  
Meanwhile, Natsumi was looking down at the mild mess that had fallen on her. She'd heard vague rumors that this stuff was supposed to be good for one's skin, but somehow she doubted it was going to do anything for her freckles. It didn't smell too bad, at least. She wondered how it tasted. But not enough to bring it up to her mouth, unlike some people.  
  
"Some people", of course, was how Natsumi was thinking of Chizuru, who had delicately rubbed a finger against where it had landed on her cheek, then just as delicately brought the finger tip to her mouth and licked at it. _I am tasting the emission of a ten year old boy_ , she thought calmly. _This is beyond any doubt the second most depraved thing I've ever done._ And yet all she felt was a certain wonder as to what it would be like to drink from the source, and amusement at the sight of-- wait.  
  
For her part, Chisame barely noticed the white rain dropping on her, as her attention was utterly given to the strange sensations that Negi's tongue was provoking as it slid and pressed and gently caressed her nether areas. It was a familiar sensation by now, but still just as alien and fearsome, somehow; even before her recent tryst with Chachamaru and Evangeline, she'd felt like this once when she'd been driven to masturbate after realizing just how many people were out there watching and thinking and probably masturbating themselves to pictures of Chiu. And yet that had only been somewhat like this, for there was also a feeling of a complete loss of control that was utterly unlike anything she'd ever felt before.  
  
She didn't want to like it. She thrived on control. The whole purpose of Chiu was to allow her to control the way that people saw her, after all. And every step she'd taken into the magical craziness that was her life had been taken with the intention that she could learn how to control the craziness so it wouldn't bother her quite so much. But nonetheless, there was something wonderful about just letting go ...  
  
Of course, she was promptly reminded that letting go could be somewhat painful. For Chizuru released her grip on her so that she also slumped down to the deck beside Negi's body, allowing him to breathe freely, but the speed of the slump was enough to provoke a mild "ouch" from Chisame.  
  
Chizuru paid her no mind. "It's still erect," she murmured as she gazed down at what was still erect. Good grief, did the boy actually have some sort of condition? Priapism, in one so young? This was no laughing matter!  
  
Ayaka managed to regain enough self-possession to lift her head and look at the still erect member. "Goodness," she said, clearly startled. Siesta hadn't mentioned anything about this, but maybe it was something the maid had simply assumed that Ayaka would automatically understand. "Does it only go down if it has experienced actual intercourse?"  
  
The question hung in the air for a few moments.  
  
 _This time, I have to say something,_ thought Chizuru. _Their confusion about the function of the male organism has passed out of the realm of innocent folly and into dangerous territory. Yes, yes, I will say something._  
  
"That could be ..." And then she trailed off, unsure of how to express the notion beyond that.  
  
 _What is wrong with me?_  
  
"Very well, then I will, for Negi-sensei's sake, take this burden--" said Ayaka as she started to get to her feet.  
  
"Um, no, wait, Iinchou ... you shouldn't have to do that," Natsumi interrupted as she also started to get to her feet. "You have a responsibility to your family, and you should save yourself for marriage, so I--"  
  
"Don't be absurd, Natsumi-chan," Ayaka interrupted right back. "Among persons of my class, it is well understood that marriage is about finance and diplomacy, not such trivial considerations. But they are far more important among people such as yourself, so -"  
  
"But I'm probably never going to get married, because I'll be pursuing a career in the theatre, so there won't be a chance to get married, and anyway theatre people don't care about that sort of thing, so I should be -"  
  
"But it's far too great a sacrifice to ask that of you, Natsumi-chan." _Hiss!_ went Ayaka's eyes.  
  
"Oh, no, the sacrifice would be far greater for you, Iinchou." _Myaaa!_ went Natsumi's eyes.  
  
 _Good grief, they're actually on the verge of having a catfight about this_ , Chisame thought wearily. Who'd have expected Natsumi to be this tough-minded? The situation would have been so much easier if there was someone sweet and biddable involved instead of these two. Someone like maybe Bookstore? Chisame shook her head, realizing that girl would be too shy for this sort of thing.  
  

* * *

   
 _Meanwhile, yet somewhere else in campus:_  
  
Life tended to get stranger in one way or another after meeting Negi Springfield. And usually more dangerous than before, as well.  
  
At some point shortly after the Library Island adventure, Miyazaki Nodoka had explored a few of the old chambers the Baka Rangers had found during their underground expedition, the ones they had to go through before reaching the trap of the giant stone golems. While there, she had opened a strange and mysterious old tome...  
  
 _"How about this one?" Nodoka's attention was caught now by another book, this one bound in scarlet and with four shiny golden seals on it, one in each corner. It came off easily as she pulled it to herself, and her eyes went slightly glassy. "Ah, it feels weird. So light despite its mass, and ..."_  
  
 _"And?" Yue asked._  
  
 _"Warm," Nodoka sighed. "It's very strange, but it also feels very smooth and comfortable to hold ..."_  
  
 _"Hmmm, in any case, maybe it'd be best to leave it there, if it doesn't feel like a normal book," Ayase observed warily._  
  
 _"It's as if it fit right into my hands, as if it's meant to be with me," Nodoka muttered softly, as her fingers caressed the cover, running over the image of a winged lion's face. The words_ The Clow _were written above it._  
  
 _"Nodoka?" Yue was really worried now. "Nodoka, snap out of that, you're scaring me."_  
  
 _"I wonder," Nodoka whispered, her fingers moving up to fiddle with one of the corner seals, "If I can read just a little of it ..."_  
  
 _Then all four seals popped out at once, and the cover flew open abruptly. And it was as if a blinding flash of light and a huge burst of compressed air exploded from the tome, sending Nodoka stumbling back. Yue caught her in her arms just in time, but Nodoka had to drop the book, momentarily blinded and off-balance._  
  
 _Yue could barely see anything herself, but she felt as if she had just been pushed into a hurricane. She could vaguely make out small rectangular shapes twirling in the air all around them, and hear how the impossible indoor winds began colliding against the walls and the shelves, dropping other books everywhere. She was fairly sure she had just heard a few bookstands plummeting, as well, and when she tried to look in that direction, she saw all the card-shaped figures flying out through the corridor, sucked by a powerful maelstrom up into the upper levels of the Island, and from there, into the campus. "You gotta be kidding me."_  
  
 _Then, as she still held a coughing Nodoka in her arms, her eyesight returned enough to allow her to see a gigantic and fearsome beast looming over them, standing on the book, spreading wide wings that didn't really fit well in the cramped space of the room. Yue felt the blood in her veins becoming ice, as the majestic creature spoke with an imposing, powerful male voice. "WHO HAS DARED TO —"_  
  
 _And just like that, right then, the animal was swallowed by a poof of smoke that enveloped it completely. When the smoke cleared mere moments later, the beast was gone. Yue blinked, and heard, coming from below, a tiny and chirpy voice with an Osaka accent finishing the titan's sentence, "— open the Clow Book and disturb my rest?!"_  
  
 _Nodoka and Yue looked down, startled. A diminutive plush animal with the cutest little white wings stared back at them._  
  
 _Silence._  
  
 _Silence._  
  
 _Silence._  
  
 _Silence._  
  
 _The plush animal's head hung down. "Aw, nuts!"_  
  
And so, as the one who had opened the book, Kerberos, the Guardian of The Clow, had charged Nodoka with the duty of recapturing all fifty two cards before they brought tragedy upon the world. She had captured most of them by now, first by herself (other than Kerbero's coaching and Yue's powerless yet valuable help) and then in tandem with the child prodigy Card Captor from China, Li Meiling, and her admittedly cute cousin Li Syaoran, despite the fact both of them had started as Nodoka's rivals. She had come to appreciate both of them, and Yue was even starting to think Nodoka was perhaps too friendly to Syaoran-kun. Between him, Negi and Kotaro, Yue had to wonder if Nodoka was not, in fact, more of a shotacon than Iinchou, but such things were best left unexplored.  
  
Now, while white petals flew all around them, Miyazaki Nodoka pulled herself free from the grasp of the gently smiling woman with curls who had forced her to dance with her, and placed the Clow Staff against the woman's forehead.  
  
"Return to your original form! Clow Card!" Nodoka shouted. Still smiling, the woman was pulled back into a small card form, which floated down into Nodoka's waiting hand.  
  
"The Flower," Nodoka read aloud from it.  
  
"Well, what else could have it been?" Yue walked closer, brushing petals off herself and turning her video camera off. "You okay, Nodoka?"  
  
"Of course she's okay! She did a great job!" Kerberos flew around his protégé's head. "You caught The Flower in a record time, Nodoka!"  
  
"Thanks," the shy girl smiled while writing her own name on the back of the card. "So, Kero-san, what does this card do?"  
  
"It creates flower petals out of nowhere," Kero said.  
  
"And what else?" Yue asked.  
  
"That's it," said the plush lion.  
  
"Seriously?" Nodoka sounded disappointed.  
  
"That isn't going to be of much help in fights," Yue observed.  
  
"Well, not all of them can be powerhouses," Kero shrugged. "Master Clow didn't create them to be artifacts of war."  
  
They left the deserted shooting range behind, glad to leave before anyone could see them, or damage was brought to the place.  
  
"You know," Yue said while checking the film they'd give Haruna. To be fully honest, Yue could understand Paru's hobby of watching Nodoka's exploits. She couldn't possibly call it creepy anymore, considering that she also kept copies for herself. "I've been thinking about it, Nodoka, and you really should push for your own Pactio."  
  
Nodoka blushed and shook her head, without looking at Yue. "N-No, I couldn't! Negi-sensei already has too many partners to train, and I'd be a bother. B-Besides, like I can compare to them ... I mean, in how useful we can be for him, I mean, for his goals."  
  
"Nonsense," Yue argued. "Who knows what kind of powerful Artifact could you get? That's your destiny, Nodoka. And you know Negi-sensei will have need for that Artifact sooner or later. If what we were told at Old Ostia is true, the fight to recover his father will be even harder than the one we had there."  
  
"Maybe," Nodoka allowed softly. "But Yue, th-then you should get yourself a Pactio with him, too!"  
  
Now it was Yue's turn to blush. "What? N-No! That's different! You already have serious experience in magical combat, while I --"  
  
"You didn't seem to adapt too badly to your lessons in Ariadne," the Card Captor reminded her. "With some more training and experience, I'm sure you'll become an incredible fighter!"  
  
"N-No, I already made my decision," replied Yue. "I miss the girls, yes, but I'd still prefer to stay at your side and ... with the others."  
  
"Are we having this conversation AGAIN?" Kero complained.  
  
"Yue-Yue, I appreciate that, really!" Nodoka said. "But you don't have to go forever, it'd be only a few months at most to hone your skills, and with the way time passes differently between the worlds, I'm certain you can be as useful in battle as Asuna-san, Suzushiro-sempai and Iinchou-san in no time!"  
  
Her best friend looked away uneasily. "I couldn't be as good as them, because ... because I'm afraid," she confessed in a tiny voice.  
  
And then Nodoka's hand was on her own.  
  
"So am I," she heard Nodoka's own whispered admission. "But maybe, if we put both our fears together, we might find the courage to overcome them?"  
  
After a moment of doubt, Yue squeezed the small warm hand in her own, and half-smiled.  
  
"Who knows? Stranger things have happened."  
  
"By the way," Nodoka said, looking around oddly. "Don't you feel sort of like we should be somewhere else now?"  
  
"Yes, but also sort of like we've somehow dodged a bullet."  
   
 

* * *

   
 _The Baths:_  
  
While the oh-so polite build-up to the inevitable slapping and hair-pulling continued, and with Chizuru watching in distracted confusion, Chisame rose up, unnoticed by any of them. "Okay," she said softly as she looked down at Negi from where she stood over him. "Negi ... let's feel good together, all right?"  
  
"Okay," Negi said faintly.  
  
"HEEEYYYY!!" Ayaka and Natsumi shouted at once, trying to advance towards them, only to stumble into a leg Chizuru had carelessly spread as she touched herself, making them fall flat on their faces.  
  
"Oh, sorry!" Chizuru apologized.  
  
"Negi," Chisame said then.  
  
"Yes, Chisame?"  
  
"If we're going to do, well, this, I want for it to count. Look, I'm not asking for you to l-love me or anything, but if it's going to be just a quickie, a one night thing then left behind ... I don't want it," she said. "I know it may sound selfish, but if I'm going to fall, I'm freaking falling all the way. Okay?"  
  
He caressed her cheeks with his thumbs, faintly smiling at her. "Chisame, if you really aren't sure--"  
  
"She isn't sure! She isn't! But I am, so --!" Ayaka scrambled on all fours for them, only to be tackled from behind by a desperate Natsumi. With an adrenaline rush born from her urges, the smaller girl was briefly able to wrestle the much taller Yukihiro Style practitioner to a standstill as Chizuru rushed to their side.  
  
"Girls, please don't fight! Don't fight!"  
  
Oblivious to all of that, Chisame gave her answer. "No, no! I told you, I'm sure I want it! F-for your own sake, yeah, but still! It's just, it's just it'll hurt even more if you go away after we're done. Not after all we have learned we have in common. Everything we share, and now this. I want to be there for you, even if this gets you in disgrace, or gets you fired ... but in turn, I also want you to be there for me. Because really, I-I don't have anyone else in the-- "  
  
"Liar, you have plenty of people!" Ayaka shrieked as Chizuru tried to pull her and Natsumi apart, both fighters trying to claw at each other's faces. "Like three siblings, a father, a stepmother --!"  
  
"Wait, hurt _even more_?" Negi gasped. "Chisame, what do you mean?"  
  
"Don't listen to her!" Ayaka yelled from the middle of what by now had degenerated into a clumsy three way fight, with both opponents trying to push Chizuru and each other apart, and Chizuru trying to dominate them. It was oddly arousing in its own way, Chizuru realized as her skin rubbed against Ayaka's and she kept a kicking Natsumi tucked under an arm. "She's playing the pity card!"  
  
Chisame angrily looked back at them. "Can you guys keep it down? I'm trying to confess here! Geez, what noisy wenches." Hasegawa shook her head, returning her attentions to Negi. "Okay, basically, if I'm going to be your sister-slash-lover, I want you to take the responsibility for corrupting me!" Okay, so it had been Eva who had started that, but go try making that kind of demands on her.  
  
Negi swallowed and nodded stiffly. "Okay."  
  
"Because you've turned all our lives onto a path of no return, and you can't just turn around and walk off into the horizon once our studies are over," Chisame began to lecture him, waving a finger. "You broke us, you pay for us. I'll never, I'll never love anyone as much as I love you." She blushed even more, "A-As a little brother, that is! S-So I don't really want to be left with your memory and nothing else, okay? And -- oh my God, just look at all the emotional blackmail crap I'm spouting. I'm the worst --"  
  
"SEE, EVEN YOU AGREE WITH ME!" Ayaka shrilled.  
  
 _Sister?_ Natsumi wondered. Maybe she meant it in a figurative sense, but ...  
  
And then, before anyone could do anything, Chisame quickly sat down, using her hands to draw his thing up into her thing on the first try. She flinched, expecting the pain associated with first times that she'd heard about, but it was strangely absent. She briefly wondered whether he was just too small to break the barrier, but she could feel it pressing up against her insides, so warmly.  
  
The sensation of warmth overpowered everything else. It made her fall forward over Negi, so that their faces were up against each other, and she found herself kissing him again. More deeply than when they'd established their pact, or on that night a few days ago. Their tongues rubbed together, even as his thing rubbed against her as her hips shifted over his.  
  
Pulling away, with difficulty, she found herself gasping, "Does it, does it feel good, N-Negi?"  
  
"Y-yes," he stammered. "It's much, much better than the other things." In a way, it felt even better than penetrating Mother and the others. Maybe not physically, but it felt better in his heart.  
  
 _GHRHAR!_ thought Ayaka, stopping fighting to spill large streams of cartoony tears.  
  
 _GHRHAR!_ thought Natsumi, likewise growing still into Chizuru's grip.  
  
 _Oh, he really needs better training in how to handle these sorts of situations,_ thought Chizuru with weary annoyance. Mastering that feeling, she focused on Chisame for the moment. "And how do you feel, Chisame-san? Does it hurt?"  
  
"It's, it's--" Her natural impulse to deny that she felt good about anything or anyone warred with the feeling that an honest answer was called for. "It's not painful, not really at all," she stammered out.  
  
That was perhaps not all that surprising, given all the physical activity that she'd been through since Negi came into their lives, probably more than she'd experienced in the previous fourteen years combined. Her hymen could easily have broken without her even realizing it.  
  
"And it's, it's strange," Chisame continued. "But ... even though, he's inside me, it's like I'm the one inside h-him, because we're feeling the same thing, and it's, it's - huh?"  
  
The blonde head at her right breast pulled back. "I WANT IN," Ayaka growled, before she returned to suckling at the nipple and teasing at the union of Chisame and Negi's bodies with her fingers. It stood to reason, didn't it, that if Chisame could have this sort of union with sensei by doing this, then by doing things with her, Ayaka would be doing them with both of them and experience that union too. It was simple logic!  
  
And Chizuru clearly agreed with her logic, because she had bent down to begin mirroring Ayaka's actions on the other side of Chisame's body. Well, sort of mirroring. Actually, Chizuru seemed quite a bit more confident in the way that she licked and nipped at the meat of Chisame's breast, and the movements of her hand seemed more certain and sure. It was as though ...  
  
Well. It wasn't any of Ayaka's business if she did this sort of thing. And after all, Siesta had told her that men rather enjoyed watching that sort of thing, as long as they got to participate eventually. From the rather stunned look on sensei's face, that was the case. Doubtless Chizuru had some experience in the area, that was all. And now Ayaka had some experience, and that was all. She certainly didn't have any thoughts about what it would be like to do this with any annoying monkey girls or --  
  
"You're drooling again," Chizuru said as she pulled away momentarily.  
  
"You're both drooling," Chisame complained. "You're ... both drooling ... all over my tits ... and your hands ... keep me from ... moving up and down ..." That was all that she could get out before her eyes went wide behind her glasses, as one of them slipped a finger up into her alongside Negi's hardness.  
  
"Then I g-guess it's up to me," Negi said quietly.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
He began to move his own hips, beneath hers, pushing up and then pulling back. Not too quickly, and not with a great deal of force, but nonetheless he was moving, and Chisame was baffled at his experience. _How does he know to do this? He was a virgin until a few minutes ago, right? And he's only eleven! How does he know --_  
  
The finger inside of her, the one rubbing against her walls and Negi's thing, began to move even faster, preventing Chisame from further considerations along this line. She made a few half-formed protests as both penetrations proceeded, but no one seemed inclined to heed her expressed requests to slow down or cut it out.  
  
It was Negi who finally replied to them. "But, but Chisame-chan ... right now ... you look so pretty ..."  
  
Tears began to gather in her eyes as she groaned. "Oh, you little Casanova wannabe, you upstart, you you you -" But whatever else she might have called him was lost in the scream that suddenly came out of her throat.  
  
Whether it was the mouths at her nipples, the hands on her lower body, that finger up in her or Negi's dick, Negi's sweet little dick that he clearly knew how to use, she didn't know and was well past caring. But something flipped the breaker that was holding back another orgasm, this one even more violent and exhausting than the one his tongue had given her. She rocked back until she thought her back was almost going to break, and screamed her pleasure to the ceiling.  
  
"Chisame. I'm, I'm, ahh, maybe I should, should--!" he sputtered, fighting off the approaching release.  
  
"Inside. Inside!" Recovering quickly and looking for a third climax, she threw logic, reason and fear to the wind, wrapping her legs around his waist, pushing her feet against his buttocks, her finger nails scratching at his skin. "Inside! I want it!" she demanded.  
  
Yes, she was taking her eleven year old half-bother and teacher in her vagina without a condom. And everything felt right, for the first time in her life.  
  
"Tell me again I'm cute! And pretty!" She twitched as he began to pound just a bit faster into her.  
  
"You're very, very, very cute and pretty!" he replied obediently, his breath growing even faster now as well.  
  
"Tell me you love me, as much as I love you!" She tightened her hug, greedily keeping him against herself, kissing his neck as they struggled to find a comfortable position despite their size difference. Then, after another moment, she hastily and stubbornly added, "As a little brother!"  
  
"I love you," he said, much to the horror of Ayaka and Natsumi. He loved her blunt honesty, her even cold stares, the cute soft curves of her mouth when she smiled, the small acne marks on her cheeks, her unyielding loyalty. "I love you so much, Chisame."  
  
"Oh, yes," she hissed, taking her head back and making sure of giving the others a blatant look.  
  
And almost as an afterthought, her muscles and the pressure of the finger made Negi shoot another load up into her.  
  
 _"Chisame!"_  
  
 _"Oh! Negi!"_ The mere feeling of the liquid splashing into her, and the ideas of everything that implied, were enough to push her into a third orgasm of her own.  
  
The wet sensation within her made her rise up again and fall back, lying on the floor with her hands over her face, trembling with release and confusion. The other girls now just sat back watching in dazzled and more than somewhat aroused awe.  
  
Delicately, Chizuru raised one of her fingers to her mouth and slid it in up to its last knuckle.  
  
 _Wow,_ thought Natsumi, as she watched, and rubbed herself absently. _Just wow._  
  
 _Mine,_ thought Ayaka. "Oh, dear, Negi-sensei, it still hasn't gone down!" she said, doing her level best to sound upset and not really succeeding. Okay, so maybe she was upset with Chisame, but the blurry haze of her lust kind of pushed that to the background for the moment.  
  
"What?" Chisame managed to gasp, lifting the hands off of her eyes to see that, yes, what had been erect was still erect. "Oh, you have got to be fucking kidding me!" she groaned.  
  
Natsumi started to stumble forwards to where Negi was half-lying, half-sitting on the deck. "Well, um, since I think I was going to win the argument earlier, I'll --"  
  
"Don't be ridiculous, Natsumi-chan, I was well on my way to winning you over and -" Ayaka interjected as she also headed towards Negi's slumped position.  
  
"AHEM," rasped Chizuru, not moving at all except to raise a hand to her mouth.  
  
 _Oh, no,_ thought Natsumi and Ayaka, their thoughts moving more or less in complete synchronicity. _I thought she was going to just stay back and watch, and maybe, um, well, anyway, if she's going to assert herself, she'll walk right over us and--_  
  
With the hand that wasn't covering her mouth, Chizuru slowly raised up a finger - the same finger that she'd just licked clean a few moments ago, and pointed it at Ayaka. Before Natsumi could say a word in protest, though, Chizuru began to speak.  
  
 _"Dore ni shiyou kana, tenno kami-sama no, iu toori ni, itashimashi you ne, peko peko aburamuushi,"_ she recited, moving the finger from Ayaka to Natsumi on each syllable of the children's poem. The final syllable saw it pointing straight at Natsumi.  
  
"Thank you, Chizu-nee!" Natsumi shouted, spontaneously hugging her roommate, who smiled and hugged back, resisting the temptation to give Natsumi's cute little butt a nice firm squeeze again.  
  
"Wait, isn't the mu in 'aburamushi' a short vowel rather than a long one?" Ayaka asked, frowning.  
  
Chizuru looked at her patiently and in silence.  
  
"... I am obviously mistaken," Ayaka said after a gulp.  
  
"Um, um, Natsumi-san," Negi said, once the girl backed away from Chizuru and resumed her slow half-crawl towards him. "I'm sure that all this to have taken care of the poisons, so that I'll be okay for a while, so you don't have to do any of this ..." He trailed off as he saw her face.  
  
"Yes, I know, but Sensei, I want to do it," Natsumi said as she got closer. Like many statements, it was somewhere between a lie and a truth, for she was actually a bit frightened, but determined to conquer her fears this time. Thinking of this, she continued. "Actually, actually, I wanted to say this when we went on that, that trip to the temple in Kyoto, and then to the Governor's ball, but both, both times, I was too scared and upset and ..." Deeeeep breath. "I like you Sensei!"  
  
"Eh?" Negi said, eyes becoming black circles.  
  
 _Only he would be surprised to get a confession like that at a time like this_ , Chisame mused from where she was still lying on the floor.  
  
"I, I don't expect an answer, Sensei," she said, as she closed the last of the distance. "I know that I'm not your type. I'm not anyone's type. I wish I was braver, and smarter, and sweeter, and had a higher voice, and less freckles, and bigger -- well, and all sorts of things, but I'm the one who's here, now, so I'm going to help you, Sensei. Because I like you."  
  
And then she was on top of him, and reaching back to fumble with his thing and press it up against her entrance, and pushing back with her hips.  
  
"Nagh!" Natsumi said, trembling in obvious pain.  
  
"Ah!" Negi cried, recovering from his stunned paralysis. "Natsumi-san! Am I hurting you? We'll stop, it -"  
  
"It's okay! It's okay!" she said, words escaping from between clenched teeth. "It really doesn't hurt all that much!" she lied, feeling the faint flow of blood on her thighs.  
  
"Okay, then," Negi said. He began to somewhat hesitantly pump up at her. But the look of obvious pain and anxiety on her face didn't really diminish, and even someone who wanted to believe that everyone was always completely honest and forthright with him couldn't really miss the signs.  
  
"We, we should stop," Negi said as he suited his actions to his words.  
  
"No, no, Sensei, it's okay, this is for your -" Natsumi started to say.  
  
"Natsumi-san," Negi said, lifting a hand up to gently touch her face, which was spattered with tears. "I don't want to hurt someone who likes me."  
  
That made the tears worse. "It's okay, I'm telling you, it's not like I matter all that much--"  
  
"Natsumi," he interrupted. "You matter a lot to me." It was the truth, because they all did. And he lifted his head to kiss her lips, not too deeply, but soundly.  
  
She moaned into the kiss, and felt a strange quivering below as she did. And as she slid off of him, there was a sudden strange wetness there, too.  
  
"Uh?" Natsumi said as she looked down at the whiteness. "Sensei, did you--?"  
  
"I guess," he said, uncertainly.  
  
 _He did that when we stopped doing it,_ Natsumi thought confusedly. _Should that make me feel good or bad?_  
  
Ayaka was practically shaking as she crawled over to Negi while Natsumi sort of rolled away from him. "It's my turn, right, Sensei?"  
  
"Um, well," Negi said, glancing down at his unit. It was drooping but still what most people would probably call erect. The closeness of Ayaka's form and the equally naked need in her eyes was raising it up, in any event. But he nonetheless felt obligated to at least try to talk her out of it. "I really don't think --"  
  
"But it's my turn," Ayaka said, with a note of plaintiveness in her voice.  
  
"But, well, you know, I've, I've done this three times already this evening, and -"  
  
"Senseiiiii," Ayaka whined. "Do you really not care about me at all, then?"  
  
"That's not true at all!" he objected anxiously. "But --!"  
  
"Then fuck me! Fuck me fuck me fuck me pleeeease?" she asked, hands clasped in front of her breasts and eyes swimming with tears right on the edge of trickling down her cheeks.  
  
Negi still held back, both because he was a bit stunned at the sudden profanity from the incredibly proper young woman and because he was really unsure about all of this. But then he felt a pair of firm hands pushing his shoulders up from where he lay looking at Ayaka on her knees.  
  
"I think you'd better do as she requests, Sensei," said Chizuru, and if she was experiencing any of the mild dismay she'd shown earlier at his interactions with Ayaka, it didn't appear on her face. As with another beautiful woman, her heart was a secret garden and the walls were very high.  
  
"Well," Negi gulped. "All right, then."  
  
"Yaaay!" Ayaka cheered giddily, clapping her hands for a moment, before she lay down and spread her legs and arms, looking up at him with a blissful expression on her face. "Come to me, Sensei," she said breathily.  
  
This was a bit different than the majority of what he'd done up to this point; most of his previous encounters had been with the female atop him, rather than vice versa. And he was more at ease with the former rather than the later. But despite his anxieties, he was able to complete the required maneuvers, lodging his unit within Ayaka's tight crevice. He couldn't avoid giving a grunt as he did so, however.  
  
"Is it good?" she asked somewhat anxiously.  
  
"Yes, it's, it's just very tight, much tighter than the others." Not tighter than Cocone-chan, certainly, but that would have been all but impossible, given how small Cocone was.  
  
 _What?_ thought Chisame.  
  
 _Whaaaaat?_ thought Natsumi. _I was a virgin, for Pete's sake!_  
  
 _Score one for Kegel exercises! I knew they'd come in handy someday!_ thought Ayaka. _Thank you Roberta-san! Thank you Siesta-san!_  
  
Eventually, Negi began to work his hips, pushing the unit back and forth within her. Owing to the class representative's height, he wasn't able to bring his face up to hers, and their positioning didn't allow her to bend herself so that she could come down to him. So his head rested at the level of her breasts, and to keep his mouth occupied, he took one of the nipples in his mouth.  
  
"Aaah!" Ayaka cried out as he did so, her legs swinging up to wrap around his waist and cross at the ankles below his butt. "It feels so, so good for you to be doing that, Negi-sensei! Like, like you're nursing at me! Like a little brother would!"  
  
"Eh?" Negi asked, pausing momentarily.  
  
"I didn't say anything!" Ayaka lied in between gasps of pleasure.  
  
"She has some very strange ideas about what brothers and sisters do for each other, doesn't she?" Natsumi asked Chisame.  
  
"There's all sorts of families, I guess," Chisame agreed.  
  
Chizuru refrained from comment.  
  
Ayaka's cries of obvious enjoyment continued, growing both higher and more frequent. She had turned them around and was now frenetically riding him, facing away from her classmates.  
  
"You like this, don't you, Negi," Ayaka asked, between gasps. "You like to be with your oneesan." By now she was entangled enough to dismiss the last few qualms she had moments ago about shouting her fetish aloud. They had figured it out anyway, from what she was hearing. (The idea they might have known from the first time she made it painfully clear so long ago never crossed her mind.)  
  
"Yes, yes," Negi agreed. Honestly, at this point, he was agreeing to everything on general principle.  
  
Ayaka continued to lever herself up and down on Negi's boyhood. "Say it. Say you like to be with your oneesan. Sayyyy it!"  
  
"I l-like to be with, with my oneeeesan!" Negi complied.  
  
"And your oneesan is so happy to be with you!" Ayaka cried, reaching a crescendo and approaching climax both physically and emotionally. "Oneesan wanted to be with you soooo much! Oneesan is so happy happy happy! Give oneesan happy! Give it!" She was babbling at this point. It didn't matter much as Negi pushed up against her once more, achieved his own climax and spilled his seed into her.  
  
"Oneesan loves otouto," Ayaka said, weeping, as she cradled Negi against her breasts... and wetness spilled out and engulfed Negi's lower body.  
  
"Oh!" Negi said, looking down at where their bodies met.  
  
Ayaka went white, returning to a more normal state of mind. "Oh, no. No, please. Tell me that I didn't urinate on you!"  
  
"Um, w-well," Negi said.  
  
Chizuru came over and took a quick sniff. "No, it's not urine. You made her squirt, Sensei."  
  
"Women can do that?" Negi and Ayaka asked in surprised chorus.  
  
"Some of them, sometimes," Chizuru confirmed. She sniffed again. "And some of it is also semen, I believe."  
  
"Oh, Sensei, you've given me a precious gift!" Ayaka said, wrapping him up in a tight hug.  
  
"Yes, let's just hope you don't get another precious gift nine months from now," Chizuru added, just a bit dryly.  
  
Ayaka went white again. Actually, so did Chisame and Natsumi. And mostly Negi.  
  
"We're in big trouble, aren't we?" Natsumi asked in a tone of doom.  
  
"Way to understate things," Chisame groaned. "Even if we're not, well, if anyone finds out about this, we're probably going to go to jail for corrupting a minor. And while I'm sure that some of us have lawyers that will keep them out of jail -"  
  
"My family will probably disown me, actually," Ayaka gloomily predicted.  
  
"Yes, that will probably happen to me too," Chizuru lied. Actually, her father would likely be rather proud of her, though upset that she didn't get it on tape.  
  
"-- well, anyways," Chisame sighed. "The first thing we must do is preventing Arika-sama from ever learning about this, because --"  
  
The baths' door slid open then, and with an unholy shiver running up her spine, Chisame saw Arika Anarchia Entheofushia's figure appearing in the entrance, clad in nothing but a pink towel around her body, another one wrapped around her bunched up hair, and an evil smile. Everything about her was ominous now, even the handbasket under her arm, which the girls imagined as being filled with arcane magical torture instruments rather than common bath items.  
  
"Oh, hello, Mother," Negi casually waved at her. "Ahhh, this has a reasonable, logical explanation, you'll see. I was --"  
  
"Putting my teachings to good use?" the woman smirked. "Oh, my son, I'm so proud that you have been such a quick learner. You truly have the drive of the Ostian family. And I am certainly glad I was _casually_ passing over on my way to take a bath after my discussion with your sister."  
  
"S-S-Sister?" Ayaka gulped, her mind automatically choosing to focus on that detail rather than worrying about Arika-sama killing her, or the rather disturbing implications behind the statement concerning those 'teachings'. "N-N-Nekane-san?"  
  
"Why, no," Princess Arika said. "I mean Asuna, actually. It is a long and complex, often sordid, story, but from what I witness, I assume you are all ready for it."  
  
Now Ayaka did what Natsumi had done as soon as Arika showed up, and fainted on top of the small actress.  
  
Chizuru sighed.  
   
 

* * *

   
 _Chizuru and Natsumi's Room, several heated minutes after:_  
  
"So let me see if I have an accurate grasp of this entire situation," Ayaka began, sitting next to Chizuru and Natsumi on the opposite side of the kotatsu from Negi and Chisame. Arika was seated at the corner. "Asuna-san is your daughter, Arika-sama. By your own father." It was this point that actually made her shiver a little, more than anything else, but she still pressed on, "And Chisame-san is, as she had recently discovered, not that it discouraged her from having sexual contact with Sensei anyway, the daughter of Nagi Springfield, the Thousand Master's, Negi's father. Additionally, since the Thousand Master had a three way affair with Chisame-san's mother and my own fifteen years ago, around the time I must have been conceived, there is a strong possibility I am Negi-sensei's blood sister as well.  
  
"Unrelated to all of this, Arika-sama, you have been encouraging and training Negi-sensei in erotic arts, encouraging him to form an ongoing sexual relationship with you despite the taboo of your status as mother and son. And you, Negi-sensei, have already been bamboozled into sexual intimacy with Kasuga-san, Cocone-san and Sugiura-sensei after you opened your troubled heart to those impious Jezebels who took advantage from your vulnerable state. Have I left anything out?"  
  
"No, I think you've got it all," Arika said. Chisame was looking in all directions but her classmates', as if looking for the slightest chance for a successful escape. Negi just looked terrified out of his mind, knowing well how Chisame would rage at him over his recent indiscretions as soon as her own panic subsided. Assuming it ever did.  
  
"This is all so, so, so fucked up ..." Natsumi muttered, with both hands on her scalp. Chizuru remained perfectly still, straight and silent.  
  
"Well, then. I have a question, and I hope you will do me the favor of answering it, Arika-sama," Ayaka said calmly.  
  
"Ask," Arika bade her.  
  
"Is Nekane-san also one of Nagi-san's offspring?"  
  
"Eh?" asked Negi, eyes going wide.  
  
"Why, why are you asking that of all things now?!" Chisame gasped aloud, as Natsumi's face crunched up in a bizarre, confused fashion.  
  
Ayaka looked calmly at her likely sister. "Don't you think I have noticed at how similar we look? That is quite a big resemblance even for cousins. And now that I learn my father was such a ... man of conquests, I'm not discarding any option anymore."  
  
"We don't know for sure if he's our father yet!" Chisame growled.  
  
"It is possible," Arika allowed. "Nekane is ostensibly the daughter of Nagi's older brother, Seoman, and her mother was actually a childhood friend of them both. He once confessed to me that he had cuckolded his brother, shortly after Seoman's marriage, and Nekane was born around nine months after that. When all of this happened, though, there were no tests to prove or disprove such matters, at least not in the mountains of Wales."  
  
Negi felt stunned. Nekane-oneechan might actually be his real sister, not just a cousin!  
  
"I see," said Ayaka, then picked up the tea cup in front of her and sipped from it.  
  
"Gee, you do?!" Chisame exclaimed after a moment.  
  
"Yes, I see," replied Ayaka.  
  
"What the hell's wrong with you?!" Chisame yelled at her.  
  
"What the hell's wrong with all of us, you mean," Natsumi gloomily pointed out.  
  
"Yeah, but she's the worst of all of us!" Chisame pointed at the young heiress. "We all have messed it up badly, yeah, including you, brat, and don't think I'm not going to take it out on you, eleven year old or not! But we at least are acting accordingly disgusted by our own actions! Just look at how quietly she takes it all!"  
  
"He's twelve, technically," noted Arika mildly as Negi shrunk down in fear and shame.  
  
"Same difference!" Chisame roared. "But she still should feel bad about it, beyond the simple concern on being caught!"  
  
"Perhaps that's so," Ayaka allowed. "However, it would be hypocritical for you to accuse me of moral levity, since you knew well he might be your brother before initiating sex with him. I have no problems with it myself, since I love him regardless of any blood connection we might have. Not to mention, you clearly enjoyed it as much as I did, so I won't have you lecturing me on post-coital guilt when you should have felt that guilt **before** taking the step. And whether Nekane-san is my cousin or half-sister is not, I think, actually pertinent. I asked solely to clarify matters."  
  
She finished her tea, lowered it and said, "I want in."  
  
"What... what in the..." a pale Natsumi gulped, before taking a good direct look at Ayaka's driven expression, and the look Chisame was giving the heiress, a look that spoke clearly of accepting a challenge. A shared stare between them was full of tension, but also a newborn strange sense of communion between two people who had gone too far to back away.  
  
And Natsumi realized she also was one of those people.  
  
"I, I, I, I want in too!" she added, breaking part of the tension with her clumsy intervention.  
  
Arika hummed and slammed her hands together. "Very well. I believe we need establishing some clear terms of coexistence, then."  
  

* * *

   
The next morning, birds chirped, the sun was bright, and everything was right with the world.  
  
Hasegawa Kodaka, blond haired Japanese freak of nature, sixteen year old, enjoyed mornings. It was not like classes were particularly enjoyable, but they gave him a sense of peace and quiet he had come to appreciate, compared to what waited for him in the afternoon, after hours.  
  
Often, he felt like he had intruded into someone else's parcel in life, but he reasoned that had to be her own refusal to accept his problems as his. Yankees usually dealt with that through psychological help, but Japanese were expected to swallow it and deal with it all through their lives.  
  
Hasegawa Kodaka disliked his nickname of 'Yankee', but at times he actually wished to be one. One of those days, he'd snap about his dual heritage and end up like that Kimura Kaere freak from Class 3-F.  
  
He navigated through the lessons with stone faced acceptance, taking the usual notes and making his best to ignore the evil presence in the seat behind his. But that morning, the evil presence felt stronger than usual, which was marked by her slightly more agitated breathing than the norm. That had to mean she had a new hair-brained scheme in the making, which was no wonder with the Sports Festival approaching so quickly. It was something unavoidable, which didn't make it any easier to endure. Kodaka only could brace himself and expect he could control damage as best as he could.  
  
Once the bell rang marking the end of the classes, he felt the familiar hand sneaking around from behind him and tightening itself around his tie. At the other side of the classroom, he saw Mikazuki Yozora standing up, with an icy scowl as was her custom, prepared to join them at the door. The game, again, was afoot. Much to his dismay.  
  
"You. Come with me, immediately. There's no time to slack around today," the voice of their master came harsh, unforgiving, leaving no room for question or doubt. Then there came a sinister throaty chuckle as she pulled him to his feet, a most unnerving sound interrupted only by the beeping of Kodaka's cellphone.  
  
"Who is it?" the black haired Yozora asked coldly as they walked together towards the door, keeping her large and quiet purplish eyes locked ahead of her, not deigning to give them a look.  
  
Kodaka stared at the sender's identity as he struggled to keep up with their Supreme Commander's brisk pace. "Ah, it's Chisame. Only says she wants to talk with me privately as soon as I can. Hey, can you let go of my tie? I can walk by myself just fine!"  
  
"Sometimes, I have my doubts," the nice looking devil pulling him along said without a glance back. "Don't even think of using that as an excuse to ditch us. 'As soon as you can' means 'as soon as you're done with your meeting'!"  
  
Kodaka said while looking aside, "But it's weird. For her to call me, when we barely talk to each other ... it's not like her. There must be something important to this --"  
  
"If there was, she'd have told you about it already!" their leader argued, ignoring the disdainful look the other girl was giving her. They stopped at the end of a side corridor several halls away, and she pushed the door open with a foot. "Okay, everyone, we're officially back into business! I hope you maggots enjoyed those summer holidays, because now the SOS Brigade's going to make up for all that wasted time!"  
  
Sitting around the room's table, under the sun filtering through the window's mostly closed curtains, a busty blond girl, a much younger averagely pretty girl with short black hair, a handsome and pleasantly smiling boy and a pale short girl with glasses, short grayish hair and an absolute lack of expression looked up at her, the latest softly closing the thick book on her lap. The almost-as-busty-as-the-blonde cute girl in the maid outfit pouring them tea gasped at the sight of her supreme goddess, who flashed them all a wide, truly shit eating grin.  
  
How, faithful and twisted reader, did this come to be, and what happened afterwards? The answers to those riddles and more wait for you in our next somewhat heartwarming chapter.  
   
 

* * *

  
  **Next** : Haruhi.

 


	8. Period Seven: Haruhi

_The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery._

 

 _Mahou Sensei Negima_ and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_ and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

  _Fate Stay Night_ and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

 _The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi_ and all related elements and characters belong to Tanigawa Nagaru and Kadokawa Shoten.

 All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for writing the bulk of the Haruhi/Mikuru/Haruhi scene.

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

 

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**

* * *

 

 

**Period Seven: Haruhi.**

* * *

**_Seven Years Ago:_ **   
  
_When did I stop believing on Santa Claus? Truth be told, it happened when my father took me to a baseball stadium near Christmas. I had never seen so many people together before, so I asked my old man if he had brought me somewhere where everyone in the world (except Mom, not that I could blame the world for not wanting to be with her) had come together. He laughed, simply amused, and told me that no, this was only a very small sample of everyone in our city, who in turn were only a relatively small fraction of all people in Japan, and that was also only a small part of all the people in the world._   
  
_And I felt like shit, because that only hammered into me how small and meaningless I was, and how difficult my dreams of becoming the ruler of the world had just become._   
  
_Then a drunk in a Santa suit, no doubt a mall slave after hours, sat next to us, and he was so much of an ass all through the game, and I was so angry already, I ended up kicking him in the nuts, and he dropped his beard, and I realized Santa Claus wasn't real._   
  
_I'm sorry I couldn't offer a story as interesting as that of the girl in that Gremlins movie._   
  
_Since then, I realized I had to grow the fuck out of my stupid childhood dreams of world domination and finding aliens, espers, time travelers, sliders, and Bigfoot. Eventually, I came to accept a dull, mundane life through my years of studying in Tomobiki Elementary. However, just when I was plowing through middle school like a robot, with no dreams other than reaching the legal age to drink myself to death, he appeared, soaring above the skies of the world, heralding a new age of motherfucking wonders. Most tried to downplay him, trying to explain him away, saying he was nothing but a super soldier made by the US government, or some sort of mutant. Even those accepting his story of being an alien grumbled and said, okay, we had to expect contact with aliens at some point, the world couldn't stop because of it, we had to just accept it and move on._   
  
_But in the end, it made little difference if he was an alien, or mutant, or lab created freak. He was an abnormal, a marvel, a wonder among us, anyway! That was what counted!_   
  
_With my will to live and continue my search for the extraordinary rekindled, I made a formal, way cool announcement to the world as soon as I enrolled in Class 2-E of the fabled Weirdo Magnet Mahora Academy._   
  
_"I am here looking for aliens, time travelers, espers and sliders!" I forgot Bigfoot, but even I am not perfect. "If there's anyone in this classroom fitting any of those categories, please contact me after classes! I have no interest in ordinary people!"_   
  
_The rest of my new class stared at me in what was obviously adoring admiration of my sheer gall and audacity, but simps as they were, no one, not even the old withered fart of a teacher, said anything. Disappointed, I sat down telling myself maybe I should have said 'contact me immediately!' instead, but by then I had realized this class would be another dud. After all, a real denizen of the paranormal or otherworldly would have boldly answered the challenge just as soon as it was issued, not caring about the petty time requirements of a mere mortal like me._   
  
_The next days passed, as boring and bland as ever, and my interest on my new school died quickly. Other than a few abnormalities like kid teachers and a man who couldn't die no matter what, the place seemed even more ordinary and complacent than all my prior schools. I had resigned myself to wait and try again in college, when on a whim, the guy sitting before me, a meathead with blond hair everyone mistook for a delinquent despite actually being only a wuss with foreign genes, casually told me, "If you're so interested in the abnormal, I don't know, why not join a club that investigates it?"_   
  
_"Idiot, do you really think I haven't tried that? But they're all scams, circles of charlatans who do nothing but read magazines, play videogames, and go on little kiddy excursions into the woods."_   
  
_"... huh," the guy scratched his chin vaguely. "Well, maybe you could try creating a club of your own, fitting your ... nah, forget it, I'm just talking nonsense ..."_   
  
_I felt myself rattled by inspiration. Eureka! Even a broken clock is right twice a day, and the apple that fell on Newton didn't need any brains of its own to ignite the spark of genius._   
  
_"That's it!" I stood up. "I'll create my own world-changing society to expose the greatest secrets of the universe!"_   
  
_Since I needed others to fill a membership quota to start the Society, I recruited the guy, one Hasegawa Kodaka, because honestly, it wasn't like he had anything better to do anyway. The poor sap was alone and friendless, and if I didn't help him, he'd actually fall eventually with actual bad company, like that Harima Kenji thug. Besides, I needed someone to carry heavy boxes around. Not that I'm weak or anything, but a President, regardless of gender, must not get their hands dirty with menial tasks._   
  
_Getting the sponsor for our club was easy, as well. All I had to do was finding a poor, unfortunate useful slave of the system with a lot of hopes for the future and the need to exert patronage over someone and make a name for themselves amidst the staff. Lucky me, I found an also friendless and pathetic nun in the Mary Magdalene church associated to the Academy who readily accepted my offer. Sister Sanada Yukariko; as naïve and easy to manipulate as a child, really ... good thing I'm not the evil manipulative type!_   
  
_The local Literature Club was dissolving at the time, so I was able to score their club room, and with it, the last remaining member of their ranks, a Moe Meganeko addicted to reading named Nagato Yuki. She was quiet, obedient and efficient, so I knew she'd be a valuable asset from the moment I met her._   
  
_We still needed one more member to start, though, and the deadline for inscribing new clubs for the school year was almost over, so I had to resort to desperate measures. With no better choices at hand, I accepted a disgusting, asocial, annoying little wench in my class, Mikazuki Yozora, in my inner circle, at least as long as I lacked better alternatives. The little flat bitch acted as first as she didn't want in, despite being obviously attracted to Kodaka, but fortunately, her desperate and sad need to find any actual friends (since all she had was a delusional imaginary friend she often talked to when she thought she was alone) ended up winning her over, and lo! Behold! I had my fourth member, and we could officially start our new and glorious Society to Obliterate Boredom, Ignorance and Conformity from the World with Suzumiya Haruhi! The SOS Brigade, in short._   
  
_I was JUST SO PROUD!_   
  
_Then one night, mysterious letters from 'secret admirers' duped Yozora and lured me to cleverly investigate, which made us both arrive in our classroom near midnight. There, we were attacked by prim and proper, disgustingly sweet and polite Class Rep Asakura Ryoko. With a big-ass knife. And the uber martial arts super fast moves to use it. It was very cool and thrilling, but before she could stab Yozora and do the world a favor, Nagato Yuki appeared out of nowhere and rescued her. Not me, I could have escaped at any time I had wanted. Really._   
  
_Once the immediate threat was over (and after a way cool duel I regret not being able to describe here) Nagato Yuki took us to her quarters, where she dropped a giant bomb on us._   
  
_"I am a Humanoid Living Interface sent by the Data Overmind, just like Asakura Ryoko, and I am here to keep surveillance on the Omega Level Entity known as Hasegawa Kodaka."_   
  


* * *

_The Present Day:_  
  
"All right!" the pretty girl with short brown hair planted her hands at the head of the table. "Today, the SOS Brigade starts preparing its glorious plans for the Mahora Sports Festival in full force! Roll Call of our ranks! Suzumiya Haruhi, President For Life!" She slammed a hand against her own chest, which seemed to bounce slightly for a moment. "Present! Vice President Koizumi Itsuki!"  
  
"Present, Ma'am!" The handsome boy raised a hand with the same perfect smile you rarely see out of advertisements.  
  
"Intelligence Gathering Officer, Nagato Yuki!"  
  
The small and frail looking girl raised a hand without looking up from her book.  
  
"Public Relationships and Director of the Visual Appeal Committee, Kashiwazaki Sena!"  
  
"Present!" the busty blonde raised her hand, then gave Yozora a malicious side glance.  
  
"Intern in Charge of Defense and Maintenance, Mikazuki Yozora!"  
  
"Present, and willing to point out the order of the roll call in no way reflects the importance or rank of the members, otherwise the Meat bags would end up dead last!" Yozora said.  
  
"But it does," Haruhi pointed out, making Sena snicker and Yozora scowl darkly. "Junior Intern Kugimiya Madoka!"  
  
"Ahhh, present!" the younger girl with short black hair said.  
  
"Mascot and Visual Appeal Assistant Asahina Mikuru-chan!"  
  
"P-P-Present and ready!" the girl in Meido attire raised an unsteady hand.  
  
"Intern in Charge of Logistics, Hasegawa Kodaka!" Haruhi finished.  
  
"Here," Kodaka raised his hand with a half-spirited groan.  
  
"Well, I'm glad you could all make it here today!" Haruhi grinned confidently. "Because this meeting is extremely important for the Brigade's future! With our second Academy-wide official event approaching, the Brigade must take advantage of it to further spread our ranks and pursue our objectives! We have grown powerful in numbers as well as capacities since our humble starts, and in a very short time, but that's not nearly enough! We must go, go, go, until we reach true greatness, and we leave our mark forever, not only in Mahora, but the world as a whole!"  
  
Kodaka shuddered slightly to himself, but to his relief, he could see that at least Kugimiya-san was sharing his level of uneasiness. Asahina-san, as expected, had started shaking violently, while everyone else seemed completely unaffected by the start of such a delusional and megalomaniacal tirade.  
  
"Yes, the world is changing at breakneck speed, and to adapt and impose ourselves as an effective force of change, we must be assertive and waste no chances or time!" Haruhi slammed a fist on a handpalm. "You all saw what happened here during the summer, didn't you?"  
  
"Actually, I was in Daddy's Malibu mansion at the time," Sena replied, with the same tone you would say you had been at the supermarket. "Something about major surprise roleplay, right?"  
  
"DEMONS from ANOTHER DIMENSION with FREAKING STRIPPING BEAMS descended from a hole in the sky and raised havoc all across Mahora!" Haruhi shouted with a vehement shake of her head. "Get your facts right before vomiting ignorance upon this sacred precinct, Director Kashiwazaki, or your merit points will drop under Mikazuki's!"  
  
As Sena recoiled with wide blue eyes, it was Yozora's turn to snicker wickedly. "Don't be so harsh to poor Meat, President. I'm sure she's just too shaken over losing a chance to strip in public to think clearly ... as clearly as she can, anyway."  
  
"What was that, stupid weasel?" Sena sneered.  
  
"What did you hear, Meat?" Yozora grunted. "You'd have felt at home, flashing your flabby bags everywhere!"  
  
Sena looked at Haruhi while pointing at her hated rival. "How many times did those... _things_ strip this weasel?"  
  
"Four. The most times any of us was hit," Haruhi reported. "Mikuru-chan and Madoka-chan tied at three, Kodaka got tagged once, and Yuki, Itsuki and me all got clear records."  
  
For a moment, the briefest moment, while no one was looking at her, Nagato shook a small fist in circles, without stopping reading or changing her non-expression.  
  
"Regardless, that's inconsequential!" Haruhi said, maybe to ease Yozora's red faced shame as Sena laughed aloud. Maybe. "What matters is, once again, the staff chose to hide the obvious truths behind those astonishing, potentially world changing developments! That's why, for our big Sports Festival project, the SOS Brigade will tackle a tell-all project and enlighten the oppressed, blind masses! Like Plato's benefactor, we will take our imprisoned fellows by hand and pull them out of the cave and into the light! That will make us spearhead heroes for a new age of social enlightenment! And get us TONS of new groupies, too!"  
  
"So, basically," Kodaka said, "you aren't buying anything from the official explanation?"   
  
"Of course I don't, and neither should you!" Haruhi pointed at him. "Everyone knows CGI doesn't work that way! For one, it only works on previously recorded material to display on screens and film, and it can't be projected upon the reality around us! Before you say 'holograms', let me remind you the installation of the massive projectors around the whole Academy necessary for that stunt is something that could not have been done under our noses without those responsible ever being seen! Furthermore, we never saw that supposed equipment being removed, either! Besides, the effects those demons wrecked upon our academic population -- that massive sexual harassment and destruction of proper school attire is something that never would have been approved by Japan's academic authorities, making it impossible to be a staged, pointless entertainment exercise, as the lying liars who only ever tell us lies have told us!"  
  
"Well, if anyone is an expert about how far you can go with sexual harassment, that should be you," a bemused Yozora commented.  
  
"Exactly!" Haruhi nodded.  
  
"Okay, let's say we buy your just-as-outrageous explanation," Kodaka sighed, really not in the mood for this shit today. "How do you propose that we expose that massive alien-hell conspiracy without having us mindwiped by Men in Black or killed and stuffed into cement blocks at the end of the river?"  
  
"Tch! What a lack of imagination!" Haruhi disapproved. "We already have a lot of fine filmmaking experience from our Mahorafest smash hit, don't we? We're going to make a second movie, this time detailing the sordid details behind the immoral events rattling our student body! By showing a lot of rattling student bodies! We still have to sell, after all."  
  
"Another movie?" Sena moaned. "Aren't we supposed to be more original than that?"  
  
"Director Meat!" Haruhi shot her a killer glare, as Yozora exploded in laughter. "Those points keep going lower and lower! You're three demerits away from falling under the Weasel!" And here Yozora stopped laughing. "Obviously, we're still original and cool as long as we don't keep redoing the same themes, even if we're using the same media. No one accuses Kubrick of being a hack just because he kept resorting to movies as a mean of expression, right?"  
  
"Excuse me, but who is Kubrick?" asked Madoka.  
  
Ignoring her altogether, Haruhi said, "That's why, after the science fiction speculation of 'The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru, Time Patrol Waitress', we're going one step further in terms of all kinds of realism, with our next, biggest, baddest documentary extravaganaza -- 'The Adventures of Asahina Mikuru, Time Patrol Defender, Against Sena, Queen of Otherdimensional Demons!'"  
  
They all stared at her. Even Nagato.  
  
Haruhi planted her fists on her own hips and chuckled. "Twice the excitement! Twice the boobage! Bigger, rawer, bolder! I see I've left you speechless just from the promo pitch!"  
  
Finally, Yozora grinned. "Well ... if you're shooting for a documentary, at least you got the right facts about who's the Queen of the Demons. That would also explain why she wasn't here at the time, better than that lame Malibu mansion excuse."  
  
A furious Sena jumped on her.  
  


* * *

 

_"So you're an alien?" I had to ask, feeling the unmatched sense of wonder and excitement I had been looking for my whole life. At my side, that Philistine Yozora only muttered something to herself about overly complex pranks and someone taking her for an idiot._   
  
_After an extremely short pause, Nagato answered. "I suppose, allowing for the shortcomings of your language, that would be an acceptable term to label my physical manifestation. Just like Asakura Ryoko, I do indeed come from beyond this planet, although technically not from another planet. You could think of my site of origins as an alternate pocket plane of existence folded into this universe's subspace. We were generated by the Data Overmind as surveillance and control units tasked with keeping your reality stabilized at any necessary costs. Of course, there are several different schools of thought on how to achieve such goals, and Asakura Ryoko followed the line of though inclined to consider you disruptive factors due to your proximity to Hasegawa Kodaka."_   
  
_"Are you trying to tell us she was jealous of us because we were close to her alien crush?" asked the Philistine, obviously unable to grasp the point unless it was hammered into her._   
  
_Nagato was very polite. "Negative. Our interest on Hasegawa Kodaka has nothing to do with emotional leanings, sexual attraction, or a desire to establish what you call affective links. Hasegawa Kodaka has been labeled a potentially destructive entity of unknown reach and potential, and we are trying to gauge him while making sure he, consciously or not, does not destroy your plane of existence. And possibly even ours."_   
  
_"Hmm," Yozora pondered, still clearly not believing her, despite all we had seen less than one hour before. How dense could she be? "I was aware of his reputation as a delinquent, but destroying the universe? You're giving him far too much credit, Sis."_   
  
_"I don't joke," Nagato plainly said._   
  
_"Never mind her! I believe you!" I said, grabbing her small, cold hands._   
  
_Yozora groaned and looked aside, muttering something else, something definitely unpleasant, to herself._   
  
_"What do we have to do?" I asked._   
  


* * *

  
_"We need someone to supply the Moe hook used by all great institutions appealing to today's youth!" I explained as I pushed the huge-tittied, baby-faced gorgeous Sempai into the meeting room. I could see Kodaka's eyes widening, which had to mean I had played my cards right and picked someone who would appeal to his base male sensibilities. "So here she is! Ta-daaaa! I met her this morning in the bathroom! Her name is Asahina Mikuru from Class 3-11! Since I'm the Athletic Sexy type, Yuki-chan is the Brainy Unnoticed type and Yozora is the Unappealing type, she'll fill the Kawaii Defenseless type that moves hormonal teenage Neanderthals to follow trends, causes and social tendencies!"_   
  
_"You... You're joking, aren't you?" asked Kodaka. "Please excuse, ah, President Commander Suzumiya here, miss... I don't know what she told you, but --"_   
  
_"S-She didn't tell me anything!" Mikuru whined. "She, she only was waiting for me after classes, grabbed me, and dragged me here!"_   
  
_Kodaka gave me a stunned look. "That ... that's kidnapping!"_   
  
_"Do you realize how stupid you just sounded?" Yozora asked him._   
  
_"Tsk!" I shook my head. "She's right for once, you're being stupid! If this was kidnapping, I'd have resorted to violence, because it'd have been against her will! And since she didn't oppose me, it obviously wasn't against her will! Otherwise, she'd have kicked me in the stomach, bashed my head against a wall and then slammed me with a blunt object for good measure!"_   
  
_"THAT'S WHAT YOU WOULD HAVE DONE!" cried Yozora and Kodaka._   
  
_I sighed. "You two don't get it no matter what, do you? Hey, Mikuru-chan, do you belong to any clubs?"_   
  
_"C-C-Calligraphy! But, why --?"_   
  
_"Quit it!" I commanded. "The SOS Brigade demands for absolute dedication! You can't serve Yawheh and Moloch at the same time!"_   
  
_"You can't force someone to quit her clubs just to join ours!" Kodaka protested._   
  
_Mikuru gasped aloud, looked down, and said, "V-V-Very well ... I'll do it ..."_   
  
_Kodaka and Yozora were left wordless, which always is a good thing._   
  
_Nagato Yuki-chan briefly looked up from her book, gave us a subtle nod, and returned to her maddeningly heavy reading._   
  
_It made Mikuru-chan swallow hard._   
  


* * *

  
_Then, one day, she showed up at our doorstep._   
  
_"I want to join your Club!"_   
  
_Despite the phrasing, it was more of a command than a suggestion._   
  
_Who was this strange person who disrupted our convenient scheming to save the world? She had shown out of nowhere, and I didn't remember seeing her anywhere at Mahora before. Yozora disliked her from the moment she first saw her. She was extremely beautiful, but that only made her more suspicious. Maybe she was another Data Entity, from another faction? We had been warned by Yuki such things could happen, in this key crossroads of time and space._   
  
_But judging from the even more boring than usual way Yuki kept on reading, I quickly figured out such wasn't the case._   
  
_"My name is Kashiwazaki Sena!" she announced herself, chin high. "I just transferred from St. Chronica Academy, and I want to make friends here! Well? This is a club to make friends, isn't it?"_   
  
_We quickly debated it behind the meeting room, as Sena-san was made to wait outside by Yozora, much to the blonde's anger and offense. She obviously had read our pamphlets and gotten a completely wrong idea from them, which made Yozora, again, protest she should have been the one to redact them. Still, when Yuki's extremely quick computer research told us she was the daughter of industrialist Kashiwazaki Tenma, CEO of Pegasus Corporation, I knew we couldn't let her pass. We had an alien, a deity of sorts and a time traveler, which was all kinds of neat and cool, but we still lacked someone with the bags of money needed for effective sponsorship of our activities. And hell, there was no way she could be more of a dead weight than Yozora._   
  
_"She's problems," Yozora concluded. "So she's out. No questions about it."_   
  
_I rasped. "Excuse me? Who named you, the third lowest ranked member, as President?"_   
  
_"And who named you, the President, as a tyrant who could do anything you want without consultation?" she wondered._   
  
_"Oh, so you want democracy? Well, we can have democracy!" I snapped my fingers. "So let's put it to a vote! Who's against giving Ms. Useful Deep Pockets temporary test membership?"_   
  
_Yozora quickly raised her hand._   
  
_"Aaaaaand all those in favor of giving the poor pretty lonely rich girl a chance?" I hummed._   
  
_I raised my hand, as did Yuki, and after a moment, Kodaka. I stared at Mikuru, and with yet another whine, she nodded and raised a trembling hand of her own._   
  
_Yozora became a white paper figure. One of the most satisfactory moments in my life._   
  
_"Well, it's decided then!" I patted my hands together. "Of course, anyone who is against the wishes of the wise majority is always free to look for different venues of expression."_   
  
_"... fine!" Yozora hissed after several moments of fighting against her rage. "The Meat-Bag can stay! For now! But be warned, I'm going to make her stay here Hell on Earth. If she can't take it, then she can't be of any use to us later on, so I'll do my best to prove her lack of worth for the ... cause. Okay?"_   
  
_Again, it was a statement of something she'd do anyway instead of a question for our approval. So I humored her, and we all nodded, except Mikuru, who simply kept her gaze locked on her own small feet and shiny shoes, making tiny cutesy noises of discomfort._   
  
_Yozora walked out and shouted, "Hey, Meat-Bag! I was outvoted, so your worthless fat ass is in! For now!"_   
  
_One fine golden eyebrow twitched, foreboding disaster. "... what?! What is that rude way of addressing me, Weasel-faced harlot!"_   
  
_"What did you call me, brainless mass of silicone?!"_   
  
_"What, are you deaf on top of being an uncouth barbarian, two-bit thug!?"_   
  
_While no doubt it was nice for Kodaka to hear someone else being called a thug for a change, it was painfully clear he couldn't help feeling a tingle of doom anyway, as the shouting went higher and higher. It made me smile._   
  
_And so our secretive fake organization to change the world hiding a much more important organization to save the world gained its first normal member._   
  
_'Normal' being a relative term, of course._   
  
_I don't count as normal, since I'm too awesome!_   
  
_Oh, and the other remaining person was a subnormal._   
  


* * *

  
She was the living embodiment of buxom, raw sexuality, sitting in an obscene way, clothed in little more than skimpy rags and elaborate jewelry, cross-legged on a sinister throne made of human skulls. With a cruel, lustful smile on her full pink lips, Empress Sena of the Demon World listened to the report of the humble dark haired demon girl in a more modest tiger skin bikini who knelt before her with a low head and a tribal spear in a hand.  
  
"The human world is prime for conquest, Your Ever Living Highness," the scout soldier eagerly reported. "Mankind has grown fat and self-complacent since the days of yore, and has forgotten the primal pleasures of war and carnage. They have forgotten how to live! How to die! And the time for us to remind them has come!" She accentuated her point with a vigorous shake of a fist.  
  
"Excellent, Soldier Madoka," the sultry vision of Amazonian beauty purred, slinking to the side in a way that accentuated the slight bounce of her large breasts. She reached over to stroke the sighing soldier's hair with a hand. "Your years of espionage amongst the mortals have paid off soundly. Soon, we will crush the realm of human flesh under our bare heel! The men will be carted off to Death by Snu-Snu, and the women will bear our children! Bwa-ha-ha-ha!" she laughed madly, gesturing with both hands. Standing on the throne, she shouted, "Rejoice, my minions, Children of the Wet Darkness! Soon we will march among them, with our horned beasts and tentacle marauders! We will engulf their lands in an unending orgy of dark eternal pleasures! We will make them beg for more of our ecstasy as we devour them! Soon! Soon!"  
  
"And Mahora Academy shall be our first conquest!" Warrior Madoka joyfully proclaimed.  
  
"Yes!" Empress Sena licked her lips over and over. "My heart beats faster than ever, thinking of those appetizing living morsels, waiting for us, with none but Asahina Mikuru, novice time traveler, to stand between us and them! Once she has fallen, so will all of Mahora! And then, the world!"  
  
"For the world!" Madoka pumped her fist in unison with her empress', and then their mouths came together in a torrid, crazed kiss. Their hands reached for each other's breasts --  
  


* * *

  
"-- and that's the opening act!" Haruhi smiled proudly as she slammed a hand on the manuscript of her plot outline, filled with nonsensical annotations like 'Needs more dinosaurs!' or 'Make it more Frazetta!' at the sides. "Perfect, huh? It neatly establishes the enemy's motivations and culture! And richly so! Without any false modesty, I think I've grown leaps and bounds as a screenwriter since the first movie!"  
  
Yozora snickered. "I'll say this; you certainly caught the vulgar and megalomaniacal nature of the Sena character perfectly."  
  
Haruhi nodded. "That's an uncharacteristically deep bit of insight, Mikazuki! There might be hope for you yet!"  
  
"S-screw that!" Sena cried. "Why do I have to be the villainess? And why do I have to kiss her?!" she pointed at Madoka, who had gone slightly green during the description. "Wouldn't it make more sense for me to have a hot boy as my love slave and field agent, anyway?"  
  
"Tch, tch!" Haruhi waved a finger. "Out of all of us, only you and Mikuru-chan have the body types needed to pull off the 'voluptuous warrior queen' look, and Mikuru-chan is already locked in the role of the heroine. Dramatically, the villain has to be the hero's dark counterpart, the protagonist's twisted mirror, so we logically need a villainess who is as busty as the heroine." She looked over at the chests of Yozora, Yuki and Madoka, making two of them flinch. No prizes for guessing which. "And sadly, that kind of talent is still somewhat scarce around here. You'll have to do. Same thing for the hot guy quota. Itsuki's already reprising his role as the male lead, and Kodaka, well ... is not the type who can fill the 'Demon Beefcake' requirements I had in mind ..."  
  
"I'm so terribly sorry," Kodaka commented, resting his chin on a hand.  
  
"I tell you, more hours at the gym would do wonders for you," Haruhi said, before addressing the pouting Sena again with a crocodile smile. "Sena, baby, sweetie, you should feel honored! Anyone with a passing knowledge of storytelling devices, and most importantly, Hollywood, will tell you the villain roles are always the best. Vader will always be better known than Skywalker. Hannibal trumps Clarice! The shark remains in our hearts long after the old guys fishing for him in a boat that isn't big enough have vanished into oblivion! You want the most meaty role of the movie, don't you?"  
  
Sena had huge stars in her eyes now, being the only one who hadn't noticed the slight different tone in which Haruhi had said 'meaty'. Yozora was snickering under her breath, slapping herself on the knee.  
  
"President!" Sena said. "Would you ... would you really do that for me?"  
  
Haruhi smiled a saint's smile and grabbed Sena's shoulders. "Yes! My mammarily gifted thespian, my udderly golden Venus, you are fated for big things! As big as the heart that beats under that big left boob!"  
  
Sena giggled and took both hands to her bosom. "Yes, it's a true gift from the gods, isn't it? It's so good to see someone who understands ... others, without going into the ugly detail of mentioning their names, would only react jealously out of petty envy over this bit of beauty."  
  
"Big heart, big boobs, tiny brain," Yozora muttered.  
  
"Yozora, please," Kodaka muttered back.  
  
"It certainly suits your strong points, Sena-san!" Itsuki nodded firm but gently.  
  
"You were born for it!" Haruhi cheered.  
  
"Oh! It's so strange to get recognition from you, President!" Sena blushed and fidgeted, in a way that had even Mikuru doing snarky faces that would have done Chisame proud. For a second, at least, until Mikuru resumed character and went back to looking adorably confused. "Very well! If it's so important for you, I'll do it, and do my best at it! Just to prove some impertinent weasels wrong!"  
  
"Should be interesting," Yozora observed with an evil smirk.  
  
Sena kept fidgeting. "But, if I may be bold enough as to suggest a chance ... what if we replace Madoka-chan in that scene with ... I don't know ... perhaps Ko-ba-to-chan?"  
  
"I'm all for the idea!" Madoka quickly agreed.  
  
"Hey!" Kodaka said.  
  
"On second thought, Kobato-chan is still too young for it!" Madoka amended even faster.  
  
"Kobato-chan?" Haruhi rubbed her chin. "It's an interesting idea, actually, but I'm not sure she can break her own character long enough to make it work. Maybe we could make Kugimin redub her lines, since I like the effect her mannish voice brings in contrast to a feminine appearance."  
  
"Don't call me Kugimin, and my voice is not mannish," Madoka said, with the tired air of someone who has said that line a few hundred times before.  
  
"Before we go any further into this," Kodaka said, to change the topic without antagonizing Suzumiya directly, "don't you think the script needs some retouches? I mean, I think it's still kind of rough --"  
  
"It's full with clichés, the narrative and dialogue are overblown and pompous, and no one but Meat could pronounce those lines without feeling their intelligence has just been insulted," Yozora went into greater detail.  
  
"Oh, don't worry about that," Haruhi smiled benevolently. "Just so your great and wonderful intelligence isn't insulted, I gave your character absolutely no lines at all, just for your comfort."  
  
"Hooray for small miracles," Yozora said. "So, what am I supposed to be?"  
  
Yuki read from her copy of the script. (She and Itsuki were the only ones with preview copies, other than Haruhi herself.) "Mikazuki Yozora as Grunt Soldier who Dies Screaming During Tentacle Attack."  
  
Yozora's face went stark white. "What?!"  
  
"You only have one scene, I'll dub your death screams over your performance since you don't have a good enough voice, and you get to wear this nifty red shirt," Haruhi said, displaying said quite nifty looking piece of clothing. "What's not to like? It's minimal effort, so it's right up your alley!"  
  
"Oh-ho-ho-ho, indeed, it is!" Sena laughed.  
  
Yozora stood up violently. "What the hell! Why is my voice ugly, but Kugimin's man voice isn't!?"  
  
"Don't call me Kugimin, and my voice isn't-- ahh, screw it," Madoka sighed.  
  
Kodaka felt like he should say something, argue something, mostly for Madoka-chan and Asahina-san's benefit, right then and there.  
  
But for some reason, he didn't.  
  
He had started thinking of Chisame again.  
  


* * *

  
_"We have a new member!" Haruhi announced that morning, pulling the tall handsome boy in. Kodaka was slightly startled. That was the fishy looking pretty boy who had transferred to their class that morning. "His name's Koizumi Itsuki, and since Yozora and Kodaka already know him, they can vouch for his qualities and membership worth!"_   
  
_"We can? Since when?" Yozora, as always, was the first one to speak her mind. "We just met him this morning! Hell, you won't even let Tsuruya-sempai in and she's been snooping around for weeks, so why is this guy in all of a sudden?"_   
  
_Haruhi gave her a glare. "You wouldn't understand. That's why I'm the President. I have President-Senses!"_   
  
_Yozora snorted. "What, you were bitten by a radioactive President?"_   
  
_"Ah, you have a lovely place here," the stranger looked around slowly, like a young Greek god being bathed by the afternoon light sweeping through the curtains. "It smells of warmth, like a real home. So, what do you do here?"_   
  
_"You don't even know?" Kodaka blinked once._   
  
_"We unveil the greatest mysteries of our era!" Haruhi announced as grandly as ever. "We chase after the most fearsome enigmas the world has to pose! We are the undaunted SOS Brigade!"_   
  
_"And we also try and figure out how to make friends!" Sena piped in._   
  
_Itsuki looked at the stupefied Kodaka, the completely oblivious Nagato, the embittered Yozora, the heavily gulping Mikuru, and then at Sena, who had started whistling while playing her Pony PFP._   
  
_"I see!" he finally said, beaming with an even brighter smile. "How could I reject such a thrilling offer, from such a friendly bunch, on my first day here? This is going to be fun!"_   
  
_"Hey, slow down, will you?" asked Yozora. "Before anything, we need to take a vote on your admission --"_   
  
_"I vote for him," Sena interrupted her quickly._   
  
_Yozora clenched her teeth. "You aren't just rushing to counter me because you feel I was going to vote against it, are you?"_   
  
_Sena assumed an air of innocence. "Do you think me capable of a move so petty?"_   
  
_Yozora's colorful answer was stillborn since Haruhi exclaimed right then, "As I said, Yozora and Kodaka have already seen he's the kind of extra coolness we need, so I'm sure they're voting him too!"_   
  
_"HEYY!" Yozora and Kodaka said in unison._   
  
_"And with my vote, we are four to zero already!" Haruhi kept on talking. "Yuki-chan? Mikuru-chan?"_   
  
_"I have no objections," Nagato said quietly while flipping a page._   
  
_Mikuru swallowed, looked at her feet, and whispered, "Me ... Me neither ... it's not like it'd make a difference ... but ... I, I wouldn't vote against it anyway!"_   
  
_Kodaka gave her a mildly inconvenienced glance. Does she like him at first sight? No, I doubt she could be that shallow, accepting him that quickly just because of his looks. Even if he does look trustworthy ... okay, rather fishy in a way, but at least not like a delinquent ... Anyway, she's surely just following Suzumiya's cue out of fear anyway! I really should do something this time ..._   
  
_"Welcome to the SOS Brigade, Recruit Koizumi!" Haruhi already was shaking the guy's hand in an enthusiastic way. "Even if you're no alien, esper or time traveler yet, who knows? You're so much the type, no doubt you end up becoming one at some point of our research into the unknown!"_   
  
_He laughed softly. "Why, that's the most imaginative praise I've ever been given!"_   
  


* * *

  
  
_Kakizaki Misa made a face. "Chisame's older brother? Really? That bleached boring thug with the social skills of a stick? Please, Madoka-chan, I'm sure you can do far better!"_   
  
_Shiina Sakurako hummed while painting her toe nails on her bunk. "Well, Misa-chan, you dated Taisuke-sempai for months, so it's not like you can criticize her tastes too much ..."_   
  
_"Ugh, don't remind me of that creep, please," Misa wrinkled her nose. "Anyway, Madoka, if you're aiming for someone from that club of weirdos, why not to shoot for the hunky yes-man instead?"_   
  
_"I think he's gay," Sakurako said._   
  
_"How would you know?" Misa frowned._   
  
_Sakurako poked her own nose. "It takes one to know one!"_   
  
_"Hell, I'm not gay, and I can feel it too," Madoka nodded. Misa was going to make a sly funny comment about that, but Madoka was faster on the draw. "Say what you were about to say and you die, Misa. Anyway, yeah, that Sempai looks like he has serious vibes for Hasegawa-sempai. He's always walking after him, following him everywhere, even when it's obvious it makes him uncomfortable."_   
  
_"So you're going to save him from the evils of yaoi?" an amused Misa asked._   
  
_"Other than Haruna, there's nothing actually evil about yaoi," Sakurako opined._   
  
_"I wonder if I should ask for Chisame's advice," Madoka pondered._   
  
_"Asking for advice from her is like trying to squeeze water out of a rock. Trust me," Misa said. "Besides, I think she doesn't get along with her siblings."_   
  
_Sakurako looked at her. "But Chisame isn't a bad person. I don't think she'll want to sabotage Madoka OR her own brother."_   
  
_"I'm not saying she's bad," Misa mumbled reluctantly. "But, well, she has the social and romantic skills of a mole."_   
  
_"Despite which, she has a strong advantage on you when it comes Negi-sensei." It was strange for Madoka to find chances to get one over Misa, so she took them whenever she found them._   
  
_At Misa's stunned face, Sakurako giggled. "Ohhh, she got you here, Misa-chan!"_   
  
_Misa pouted. "Theirs is nothing but sibling love! Some friends you are! But even so, since I'm a better girl, I'll still give you some good advice, Madoka. I know you're thinking of it, but don't ever try to join that club. Take it from someone who knows; mysterious clubs filled with weird people aren't for everyone."_   
  


* * *

  
  
_"Well then!" Suzumiya Haruhi said with a wide smile as she left Madoka at her dorm's doorstep. "Starting the first day of the next term, you'll be the SOS Brigade's newest intern! Spreading the word in the meanwhile is strongly suggested! You may even call it the Gospel if you want," she said, without hesitation pulling a pamphlet out and pushing it into Kugimiya's hands, "We don't believe in false modesty."_   
  
_"Um, well, I'm honored, but —" Madoka began._   
  
_Haruhi's smirk was very foxlike now. "I'm sure Kodaka will love having you there."_   
  
_"Ah, ha ha," she stifled. "No way."_   
  
_"He often talks about you, you know."_   
  
_"R-Really? I mean, really?"_   
  
_"Yeah!" Actually, it had been only twice or thrice, in passing, while mentioning his sister's classmates, but by Kodaka's standards, that was a freaking lot with a cherry on top. She nudged Madoka's ribs with an elbow, cagily. "C'mon, girl, learn to recognize chances when life hands them to you."_   
  
_"But ... but I thought ... Hasegawa-sempai ... ah ..."_   
  
_"That he liked Mikuru-chan?"_   
  
_"Ahhhhh ..."_   
  
_"Because Mikuru-chan is mine."_   
  
_Madoka's eyes became blank squares, her mouth half hanging. She'd actually been about to mention Kashiwazaki-sempai or Mikazuki-sempai, but now didn't seem the right time to admit that. "Ah. Ah, I see."_   
  
_"Ah ha ha ha!" Haruhi-sempai laughed again. "Well, it's been a blast, but I gotta go now, Kugimin! We're making ... preparations. My class already settled on a trip destination; I convinced everyone to visit the ruins of Shinonome. I'll make sure to bring you an archeological souvenir or two. What about you guys?"_   
  
_"Well, I ... I think we'll be visiting Kyoto ..."_   
  
_"Kyoto! Not too interesting, but you might run into some ghosts there. Keep me informed on it! And on any signs you see of the aliens and the fish people! Bye!" She waved before running away without any care in the freaking world._   
  
_Madoka stared helplessly before shaking her head and walking in. What had she just walked into, or rather, been pushed into?_   
  
_On the other hand, she could spend more time with Kodaka-sempai now. And Haruhi-sempai apparently didn't have any interest in him after all! Looked like she even supported them. Maybe she wasn't such a bad person after all. Kazumi's reports used to be greatly exaggerated, in any case._   
  
_And it wasn't like her cheering club friends were spending that much time with her lately._   
  


* * *

  
  
Madoka still wasn't sure how it had come to this. Surely, there had to be some sort of rule about junior high students being recruited to join high school clubs, the sort of rule that states that such things are expressly and unconditionally forbidden. And yet the SOS Brigade's faculty adviser had done nothing to prevent her from being brought in. In fact, Madoka wasn't entirely sure that the Brigade had a faculty adviser. Sister Yukariko was supposed to play that role, and she dropped by at least once a week, but she was not part of the teaching staff, so Madoka was fairly suspicious she was not actually qualified for the position. And that would surely fall under the same sort of "expressly and unconditionally forbidden" rules, wouldn't it?  
  
But, until such time as someone dared to tell the Brigade's commander-in-chief that she couldn't have a junior high school student in her club, Madoka found herself stuck with it. (She was not nearly brave enough to raise the subject.) And it wasn't so bad, really. It meant she got to spend time with the charismatic and personable (well, in contrast to his sisters, at least) Kodaka-sempai. And Koizumi and Nagato were, well, not exactly nice, but pleasant enough to be around. (Nagato reminded her a bit of Honya, only even more anti-social.)  
  
Then there were Sena-sempai and Yozora-sempai, but they spent so much time sniping at each other, neither could direct too much of their bitterness at Madoka.  
  
Really, aside from the aforementioned dictator-for-life, there was only one member of the Brigade that she found it hard to deal with.  
  
So of course, on this particular day, their second day of post-vacation activities, as she was thinking all of this, she slid open the door of the Brigade's club room to find it solely occupied by that person.  
  
"Good afternoon, Kugimiya-san," Asahina Mikuru said timidly, turning to look at her from where she was seated at the table, doing nothing in particular.  
  
"Uh, good afternoon, Asahina-sempai," Madoka said, trying to cover her confusion. "Where is everyone today?"  
  
"Ah, well, Hasegawa-san had to go to a family reunion today, Mikazuki-san and Kashiwazaki-sempai are scouting filming locations, and Koizumi-san and Nagato-san... just didn't show up for some reason. Suzumiya-san is, well, um, I-I-I-I think she might be, um, well, talking people into cooperating with the upcoming movie ... through methods that I'm sure don't involve intimidation or extortion!" Mikuru blushed cutely at her own suspiciously specific denial.  
  
Madoka briefly considered taking advantage of these circumstances and running as fast as she possibly could. But she knew perfectly well that even though she could run, she'd never be able to hide anywhere that Haruhi would not find her. Under the circumstances, the only real option was to sit down where she usually sat between Koizumi and Nagato, and say, with patently false cheerfulness, "Well, then I guess we'd better just sit and wait."  
  
"Mm-hm," Mikuru agreed, nodding and smiling cutely.  
  
Madoka successfully fought the temptation to punch that cute smile. She didn't really understand why she didn't like the Brigade's official maid, to put it mildly. Really, there was nothing wrong with her. Parts of her personality and person would probably be extremely attractive. Take her nervousness and insecurity, for example -- in someone like Ako, those tendencies were extremely attractive, to the point where Madoka had been fighting feeling turned on by her bandmate for quite some time.  
  
But the cumulative effect of all the cute and sweet traits that Mikuru possessed, in Mikuru, made her ... grostesque. Like some sort of weird Frankenstein creature assembled from everything that people judged to be, well, moe. It all made her very hard to take.  
  
"Would you like some tea?" Mikuru asked plaintitively. "I could make some tea? Would you like that?"  
  
"That would be nice. Thank you, Sempai," Madoka answered, trying very hard to keep her teeth from clenching. Even Haruhi's inanity was preferable to this crap. Plus it would be divided between the two of them, and probably Mikuru would get the worst of it. She watched the high schooler make the tea, deciding that she understood why Nagato spent so much time reading. This place could be really dull some --  
  
"Here we are," Mikuru said, turning with the tea tray held at the level of her bosom. Then she took a step towards the table.  
  
Perhaps she was wearing a different maid outfit than usual. After all, variety was the spice of life. That would explain why her foot came down on the edge of her skirt and she fell forward, spilling the contents of the kettle of tea right onto her chest. Mikuru shrieked in shock and pain.  
  
Madoka was on her feet at once and quickly went around the table to help. She might dislike Asahina, but that wasn't the same thing as enjoying her in pain. She quickly got the tray and the kettle off of her and set them down on the table. "Napkins, where are napkins?" she asked.  
  
"O-o-over there," Mikuru pointed, gesturing to where they were set on one of the shelves. "Oh, I'm going to have to take this off," she added, gesturing to her maid outfit's top.  
  
"Yeah, that's probably a good idea," Madoka said absently, as she picked up the napkins. "Actually, you might want to run cold water over your, um, the part where the tea went, or you're probably going to have a burn."  
  
"Hweh," Mikuru said, unbuttoning the top and pulling it off. "Is it  --"  
  
"Actually, I think it's okay, all the cloth probably absorbed most of it, let me just --" She started to wipe up the remaining tea on Mikuru's bosom with the napkin.  
  
"Thank you, Kugimiya-san, you're very nice," Mikuru said winsomely.  
  
At that precise moment, the door slid open and Haruhi strolled in. "Well, that takes care of --" she started to say, then stopped dead in her tracks.  
  
Madoka abruptly realized how this looked, and abruptly remembered Haruhi explicitly telling her that Mikuru was 'hers', and all the times she'd seen Haruhi groping and otherwise being inappropriate towards Mikuru, and the words, the awful, incriminating words, bubbled out of her mouth.  
  
"It's not what it looks like!"  
  
"I know that," Haruhi said calmly, closing the door behind her.  
  
"You do?" Madoka said, now really frightened. Haruhi angry was familiar, Haruhi calm was utterly unprecedented.  
  
"Yep," Haruhi confirmed. "You see, what it looks like is that Mikuru, being clumsy, spilled tea all over herself, and Kugimin, being a good person, tried to help her clean up."  
  
"Uh, wait, no, in that case, it is what it --" Madoka said, not even complaining about the hateful nickname.  
  
"No, no, I'm not fooled. What it is, rather than that, is a fairly blatant attempt by Mikuru to seduce Kugimin. Mikuru, we've discussed this, and you should know better by now." Haruhi shook her head in somber dismay.  
  
"What," Madoka asked.  
  
"Oh, yes. Mikuru really gets around. Aside from me, where, well, let's say it was pretty much mutual, she's seduced Itsuki-kun, and Nagato-chan, and her friend Tsuruya, and Kunikida and Taniguchi, you know, those two losers from our class, and that butler and maid on that island we visited, and... how many of the guys in the Computer Club have you been with, anyway? I mean at any one time."  
  
Hesitantly, blushing, looking down at the floor, Mikuru held up three fingers.  
  
"In fact, you could say that Mikuru is pretty much the club bicycle," Haruhi said, as she walked right up to the maid, and, with a quick pair of tugs, pulled the straps of Mikuru's bra off her shoulders so that it collapsed to her waist, leaving her topless. She turned to leer at Madoka. "Wanna ride?"  
  
"Uh," Madoka temporized.  
  
"I'll take that as a yes," Haruhi said, once more demonstrating her interest in other people's opinions.  
  


* * *

  
  
Far across campus, past the borders between the high school and college residence areas, Hasegawa Chisame tightened the scarf around her neck and chin, took a deep breath, and rang on the door of Sora's living quarters. A quick intervention call from Arika-sama earlier today had somehow quickly convinced Sora's roommate to go out drinking again with her new close friend, leaving the quarters free for the important private meeting that was about to transpire.  
  
Chisame's nerves were, frankly, wrecked. That morning, Evangeline had subtly reminded her, before classes, of the errand she still owed her. Chisame had placated her with promises to tend to that matter by the weekend, and while Eva had nodded somber agreement, the expression on her face was anything but happy. To boot, for the last couple of days and nights, the ermine had been acting even more strangely than usual, cryptically eluding them all, barely stopping by to eat, and then wandering away without any explanations. Chisame was too proud to ask, and Negi was so absorbed by his own concerns, he barely noticed his old friend's increased absences, chalking them up to his party moods reasserting themselves after the Mundus Magicus adventure. Chisame was far less sure about that.  
  
Worst of it all, however, was the thing she had noticed only when Ayaka called her to ask her if she had noticed any changes on her Pactio card. Realizing she had not looked at it for the last few days, Chisame pulled it out, and noticed it had a shiny golden background now. So did Ayaka's, Natsumi's and Misora's. No way it could be a coincidence, not after ...  
  
When asked on it, Arika only made an ecstatic sound, hugged Negi, congratulated him, and then, when further asked, coughed politely and said she had to do some research before giving them a complete answer that would meet their needs.  
  
What kind of insane non-answer was that?  
  
At this rate, they'd have to ask the ermine next time they saw him.  
  
Never something to look forward to.  
  
And yet, she suspected, probably better than what would happen next now, during the reunion that waited for her behind that door that was coming open as she thought.  
  
She found herself starting at her older sister's freckled face.  
  
"Good afternoon, Sora."  
  
She nodded, with a distinctive haunted expression. "Chisame-chan. Good afternoon. Kodaka-kun's already here, so we can start now..."  
  
"Great," Chisame gritted her teeth and stepped in. "Let's rock, then."  
  
"Oh! You brought muffins!"  
  
"Um, well, yeah, Negi's mother cooked them. They're actually very nice, even if they have a somewhat funny taste ..."  
  


* * *

  
  


_"It all begins with Hasegawa-san," Yuki said. "It is difficult to explain it with the limited vocabulary of your language, which after all was developed as a means for apes to yell at other apes in the next tree. Several key pieces of information might be lost through the explanation. However ... neither Hasegawa-san nor I are normal human beings. Most likely, neither are you. You share the same distant basic bloodline of non-earthly origins with Mikazuki Yozora and Kashiwazaki Sena. Out of all the members of our Brigade, only Suzumiya Haruhi fits the established parameters of human normalcy."_   
  
_"Yeah, that's a good joke. Never took you for the kidding type, Sempai," Kugimiya grumbled._   
  
_"That is not what I mean," Yuki said. "I'm not talking about behavioral traits expected of the average human being. Just as with Asakura Ryoko, I am an artificially generated life form with a humanoid appearance designed to be able to interact with your species."_   
  
_Madoka spat her tea all over the table. Without missing a beat, Yuuki began to wipe it clean with a cloth._   
  
_"Y-You are a robot?!" Madoka gulped. Well, that would explain a few things about her behavior. "Hakase has a lot of explaining to do!"_   
  
_"Not exactly," said Yuki. "We were created by the Data Overmind entity responsible for the maintenance and supervision of this galactic system. The procedures involved in our creation go beyond what you would consider robotics."_   
  
_Madoka rubbed her temples. "Chisame's right, there are far too many crazies in this school!"_   
  
_"Using a more vulgar terminology, you might call us aliens," Yuki continued. "You are, according to our latest estimate, a latent 'slider'. That would explain your apparently random attraction towards our association, and particularly Hasegawa-san."_   
  
_"Aliens? Slider?" Madoka repeated, her face white as a sheet._   
  
_"A slider is a being gifted with the capacity to travel, or 'slide' between different dimensions," Yuki kept the explanation going. "However, your raw capabilities need training and mastery, otherwise they only will cause you uncertainty and confusion."_   
  
_"Wait, I've never shown any signs of any weird power, or anything like that!!" Madoka protested. "How can I be one of those sliders?"_   
  
_"My theory is your powers only could be activated after what we might label a 'trigger event', that is, an incident that grants you contact with forces allowing you to unleash those inherent capacities locked in your DNA," Yuki lectured with no hint of concern or humor. "For instance, an alliance forged with an Incubator spawned from the Martian pocket dimension, or, as has been the case with several of your classmates, the establishment of a preternatural connection with Negi Springfield-sensei, achieved through direct physical contact and a ritual of sorts ..."_   
  
_Madoka blinked. "Excuse me. Repeat that. A what of what with Negi-kun?"_   
  


* * *

  
  
"Ahhh!" Mikuru shivered as Haruhi craned her neck down to catch Asahina's left nipple in her mouth, making loud slurping noises while suckling on it. Madoka was reasonably sure that she could make a beeline for the door and escape, now, if she ran with everything she had. Haruhi was faster and more athletic, but she was so distracted right now, she probably wouldn't even notice it until it was ...  
  
... too late. For Madoka's illusion, of course. Suzumiya had the instincts of a hawk, and as soon as she noticed the first signs of attempted motion in the cheerleader, she turned her hungry, lascivious eyes on her. "Well?" she gave Mikuru's right breast a squeeze. "There's one for you too, you know."  
  
"Y-Yes," Madoka gulped, slowly moving in their direction. She was terrified out of her wits, but she couldn't stop herself. Haruhi's voice was commanding in a way that was not exactly hypnotic, but still left no room for disobedience. So Madoka crouched before the taller Sempai and snuck her tongue out, giving the erect nipple exposed to her a tentative first lick.   
  
Mikuru trembled even more, whispering, "Madoka-chan." Huh, so she was 'Madoka-chan' now? Meanwhile, Haruhi had a hand inside of Mikuru's panties, pistoning her fingers in and out of that strategic point that was lightly staining the underwear now in a fading pale tone.  
  
Haruhi's other hand was yanking Mikuru's skirt up. Apparently, she wasn't happy with how the cloth of the skirt kept falling back down and getting in the way of her stimulation of Mikuru, since she pulled her mouth away from Asahina's drool covered breast and commanded, "Let's all strip naked."  
  
Madoka's head pulled back. **"What?!"**  
  
"Let's all strip naked," Haruhi repeated, frowning as she roughly rubbed Mikuru's large mammaries from behind. "Official regulation clothes for the SOS Brigade cannot be damaged, stained or ripped during meetings or special activities. It's in Clause Fifteen, Paragraph Fourteen, Line Three. Really, Kugimin, you should read the rulebook more often! After all the time I spent writing it, all by myself!"  
  
"B-B-But what if someone walks in?" a pale Madoka gurgled.  
  
"No one will walk in. I'm sure Mikuru-chan set everything up so you two wouldn't be bothered, didn't you, Mikuru-chan?" She nibbled on Asahina's right ear even as she unzipped her skirt.  
  
"Ah ... ah-hah..." Mikuru posed as much resistance as usual.  
  
Haruhi shot Madoka a glare. "Well? What are you waiting for? You're still a junior, and juniors don't get stripping services from the Brigade President. Do it yourself until you've grown into a role comparable to Mikuru-chan's!"  
  
Madoka pinched herself, cursing reality as she, in fact, felt pain. But she sighed and began unbuttoning her own shirt. She always had imagined that, if she ever did something like this, it'd have been with Sakurako or Misa. Not like she had ever wanted to do that sort of thing with either of them or even just with Sakurako, no sir.  
  
She got naked slowly, piece by piece, pulling even her socks and earrings out and carefully setting them aside out of anyone's way. As her father had always said, if you were going to do something, make sure to do it right. As naked as the day she was born, she looked again at the by now equally undressed Mikuru and Haruhi. The former had been forced by the latter to lie on her back on the meeting table, with Haruhi's mouth diving directly into the Sempai's crotch. Madoka could hear the exaggerated, wild licking sounds, and she had to rub her legs together uncomfortably. "Um, so, what do I do now? This, this is my first time in something like this."  
  
Haruhi pointed at Mikuru's face without stopping in her noble labors. "Sit there. Mikuru-chan will take care of the rest."  
  
Madoka gulped, crawling up onto the strong table and carefully placing her hindquarters on top of Mikuru's face. "O-Okay ... ah ... can, can you breathe right, there? B-Because if not, I caaaaaan, ohhhhh Gooooood ..."  
  
Asahina really knew how to use that tongue! Well, if Haruhi was to be believed, that shouldn't come as a surprise to Madoka, since Mikuru had been with so many before her, after all. It felt so good, so much better than her masturbation or her recent adventures with toys borrowed from Misa, that Madoka posed no opposition when Haruhi leaned ahead to kiss her mouth, Suzumiya's crotch now scissoring vigorously with Mikuru's. Many bad things could be said about Haruhi, but there was no way of denying she was extremely competent at everything she set out to do, and it seemed that sex was no exception. Haruhi's hands tugged on Madoka's nipples and massaged her small breasts alternatively, and that, coupled with Mikuru's tongue action, drove her into what she believed had to be the biggest orgasm of her life so far. In just minutes.  
  
"That  ... that was incredible," she panted, lying ahead to rest in Haruhi's arms, the leader's hands caressing her back and buttocks.  
  
"More?" Haruhi giggled roguishly.  
  
Madoka only could nod as she heard herself beg, "Please."  
  
"Fine. Now you'll pay Mikuru-chan back," she instructed, making Madoka lie on her back while Mikuru straddled her face, grinding her sex against Kugimiya's mouth, "And don't worry too much about your technique or lack thereof. You'll only learn with practice. I guarantee Mikuru-chan won't end up unhappy regardless," she promised, pulling Mikuru into a wet kiss while her lower body began scissoring with Madoka's much like it had just done with Asahina's.   
  
Madoka's mind melted, but somehow, her body kept going on despite that. She pushed her hips back trying to match Suzumiya's frantic beat while her mouth slurped and licked at Mikuru's core. It wasn't easy, since she was finding it troubling to breathe, much less coordinating her actions at both ends at once despite the intense pleasure whipping her brain, but one way or another, she kept at it.  
  
Misa would have been proud.  
  
Madoka could count three orgasms of varying intensity in her head under the relentless assault of her seniors, and from the way Mikuru slammed her hips on her while whining, she calculated she also had inflicted two on the older girl. Just when she was starting to feel tired, Haruhi dismounted her and forced Mikuru to do the same. "You're lagging, Kugimin," she told her. "That isn't the energy a SOS Brigadier should have!"  
  
"Hahhhhhh." Madoka panted, face flushed cherry. "Gimme a break. I've told you this was my first time!"  
  
"Aw, poor junior," Haruhi chuckled, evilly caressing one of her cheeks. "That's right, I had forgotten. Well then, let's give you a beginner bonus. Mikuru-chan? Remember what we did to Yuki-chan her first time?"  
  
"Ah, ah, y-yes," the busty girl stammered.  
  
"Ah?" Madoka blinked. Then she saw Haruhi and Mikuru lower their heads, and felt both their tongues in her cunt at the same time. "Ahhh!"  
  
Maybe it had been worth joining that stinking club after all. Maybe. Madoka felt her toes curling up as another climax approached stomping.  
  


* * *

  
  


"Alright," Kodaka started, taking his seat at the table across Chisame and Sora. "I assume this is really important, since all three of us haven't been in the same room since Christmas, but at the same time, it's something too mature for Kobato to handle. Dad's getting divorced, isn't he?"  
  
"No, Kodaka-kun. It's ... it's about Mother," Sora reluctantly said.  
  
That took him by surprise. "What about her?" he asked.  
  
Sora looked at Chisame, almost pleadingly, but she only answered, "You tell it. You're the oldest sibling. It comes with the job."  
  
"I don't remember ever willingly applying ..." Sora whimpered weakly before struggling to look at Kodaka's face. "Kodaka-kun, you're aware that, shortly after your birth, Mother and Father had a falling out, aren't you?"  
  
"You mean the thing that took me three years to get over? The thing I had to be reassured dozens of times was not my fault? Yeah, I think I remember that," her brother nodded.  
  
Sora rasped. "Well. It's good, in a way, that you remember. It might, might make these explanations somewhat easier. Basically, um, at that time, Mother and Father, both, well, you could say they were looking for ... alternatives ... elsewhere. You k-know, it's perfectly reasonable, to want to start their lives all over again, as they say, there's nothing terribly wrong about that ..."  
  
Kodaka was starting to stand up, however. "Mother would never --!"  
  
"Kodaka," Chisame cut him sharply. "We've gone through this before. I know you always loved her the best, but she still was a human being. And all human beings have flaws, that's normal and --"  
  
The way he looked at her then was just as sharp. "You barely knew her. Where do you get off, thinking you can judge her? I know her better than that, and I know she wouldn't have been the type to --!"  
  
"Father walked out on her first!" Sora finally raised her voice. "Kodaka, we all loved her, but that doesn't mean she was a saint! No one is! That doesn't mean we'll love her any less, or that she was less of a loving mother!"  
  
"Even so, what you're implying is --!" he protested.  
  
"L-Let me finish before arguing, please!" the eldest Hasegawa present asked.  
  
The boy frowned and sat back. "Fine. Sorry."  
  
"Thank you," Sora gulped. "We have good reasons to believe, after that, when you were still too young to remember the details clearly, and well, it seems I blocked my memories of it for a long while ... w-w-w-well..." she then hid her face between her hands. "Sorry, I, I just can't say it!"  
  
Chisame sighed. Why did, in the end, all responsibilities fall on her? "What Sora's trying to say, Kodaka, is Mother might have had ... an affair with a man ... a man named Nagi Springfield ... Negi's father. And I, I ... I might be his daughter, as well."  
  
For a moment, all Kodaka could do was opening his eyes impossibly wide and let his jaw hang slightly.  
  
The next moment, the universe collapsed onto itself.  
  
The very next moment, from the brink of nothingness, Kodaka's remaining love for his relatives and willingness to believe them despite everything reasserted themselves, and existence bravely struggled to once again re-establish itself the exact same way it had been before. Somewhere, the Data Overmind exhaled a collective sigh of relief.  
  
"Why, why, why are you saying this?!" he shouted. "Mother would have never had done that! A child out of marriage! When she hadn't divorced yet! Behind Father's back! No, I can't believe that! You, you must be mistaken!"  
  
"We aren't completely sure yet," Sora admitted. "It's only a possibility."  
  
"No! No, it isn't!" Kodaka huffed.  
  
"We are thinking of running blood tests ..." Sora docilely said. "Just to be sure, not that it would make too much of a difference, I ... think ... we're siblings all the same, all of us, and anyway, it's like Negi-sensei is already part of the family, regardless ..."  
  
"... no, it's more complex than that ..." Chisame whispered, looking down.  
  
"What do you mean?" Kodaka scowled.  
  
"Nothing!" Chisame exhaled fast.  
  
Kodaka tapped his fingers on the arms of his chair. He'd always had some suspicions about the nature of Chisame's feelings for the kid teacher she looked after, but he usually just disregarded them as byproducts of his association with Haruhi planting weird ideas in his mind. Chisame, who was the epitome of a normal girl who wanted to remain normal while surrounded by weirdos, was in a way his twin soul, despite their differences. Or so Kodaka wanted to think. She'd always spoken with disdain and contempt about the shotacons in her classroom, so it stood to reason she wouldn't share those leanings ...  
  
A tiny Haruhi devil with tail, horns and pitchfork appeared on his right shoulder. "That's just the lady protesting too much! When they do that, it's because they don't want to admit their own perversions! Believe me, Kodaka!"  
  
A Mikuru white angel appeared on his left shoulder. "No, Kodaka-san! Don't distrust your relatives! Chisame-san is a good, working and responsible girl, and your mother was the same! This is nothing but a misunderstanding, and your sisters are just as confused by circumstances as you are!"  
  
The Haruhi devil stuck her tongue at her. "Shut up, badly recycled cartoon cliché!"  
  
"B-B-But you're just the same as me in that regard!" the Mikuru angel whined.  
  
"Don't try to derail my point!" The micro-devil shook a fist at her.  
  
Shaking his head to clear those insane thoughts away, Kodaka said, "Okay, I still can't believe that, but if a blood test makes you feel any better, go ahead. I don't really care one way or another; no matter what, I won't stop doubting Mom's virtue."  
  
Sora nodded. The change from his usual formal way to refer her to the more intimate and familiar term told her of how much he meant that in his heart, and she was truly moved by it. "Of, of course. Actually, I'm thinking odds are you're right, it's just, well, one way or another, I believe we need to know ..."  
  
"Whatever," Chisame mumbled, rubbing one of her temples. "I'm just glad you took it this well, Kodaka."  
  
"Chiu-chan ran into the rain crying when she learned, herself," Sora supplied, making her sister groan.  
  
"Ah, so that's why you called me the other night asking if I had seen her," the boy nodded. "I was wondering what was up with the secrecy on that."  
  
"Sorry," Sora lowered her head. "It's all my fault for not telling you sooner."  
  
"Does Dad know?" asked Kodaka.  
  
"We haven't talked with him about it yet," Sora confessed. "It's not the kind of subject one should discuss over an international call."  
  
The boy slumped his shoulders and gave a tired short breath. "Naturally. How about your teacher, Chisame?"  
  
"He knows now," Chisame muttered. "He ... let's just say he has accepted the idea."  
  
Kodaka murmured a low sound of understanding. "By the way, before I forget it, tell him Haruhi wants some help with our next movie for the Sports Festival. He's an expert on oddities and the allegedly supernatural, isn't he?"  
  
"Well ... he has done some study on the subject, yeah," Chisame said carefully. "But, why --"  
  
He waved a hand in circles. "It's a crazy movie about demons from another world attacking Mahora during the summer break. You know, very loosely based on a real story, inspired by that surprise stunt they pulled while you were in Wales. Does he know anything at all about, how do they call it, demonology?"  
  
"A few things," Chisame said tensely as Sora gulped.  
  
"Great," Kodaka dryly said. "We only need some pointers, you know, on how are demon societies or whatever they call them organized, and what are their supposed ranks, and what do they do ... that kind of stuff."  
  
"I'll tell him to call you," Chisame had to agree against her best wishes, lest he grew suspicious.  
  
"Thanks," he actually smiled weakly. "Although, well, I don't really know why would Haruhi need the expertise. There's nothing closer to a demon than her, anyway."  
  


* * *

  
  
Heading back home down the curved side road she favored, away from the more traveled main path, Suzumiya Haruhi slowed down when she felt the measured steps of a slow walking figure behind her, casting his tall shadow over her.  
  
"How did things go today?" asked Itsuki, his hands in his pockets.  
  
Haruhi grinned without looking back. "Mikuru and me initiated Madoka-chan today. She's still very raw, but she shows promise. A few sessions and she'll be a pro. Maybe I can get her to hook me up with her two hot cheerleader friends. And the famous kid teacher, why not? Just to be sure, I made sure Kodaka gave him a call to ... help with the movie."  
  
"Oh, you fiend," he lightly laughed, in that way he had which made it clear to her he didn't find her all that funny. Then he grew serious. "Are you sure this is a time to be joking? Not to mention committing sexual indiscretions galore?"  
  
"Hey, Mikuru started it this time. God knows who's she trying to breed with who else this time." She shrugged. "Why so worried all of a sudden? I was under the impression everything was going fine, and Kodaka was getting used to things step by step, without --"  
  
"It seems we have a new troubling development," he reported in a low voice. "The Agency informs me that we had a picosecond blink today, during Kodaka's family reunion. Nagato was observing them from the outside, but of course, we can't rely on her to deliver a direct report to US."  
  
"Oh, you wacky kids and your factions," Haruhi sighed. "Everything would be much easier if you all just worked together already, like we do at the Brigade! Maybe you should consider putting me in charge. So?"  
  
"Things don't look good. We still need a more extensive analysis, but our technicians are predicting another breakdown in two or three weeks."  
  
There was a long pause, and when it ended, Haruhi sounded actually serious as well. "I see. Damn, he has to make things difficult for us at every step, doesn't he? Maybe Asakura had the right idea, and we should have let her shish-kebab him."  
  
"I'm afraid I couldn't allow that, even with all the risks involved."  
  
She smiled back at him, over her shoulder. "You really do love him, don't you? How sweet. You realize it'll never be mutual, don't you?"  
  
"A lot of things in life aren't mutual, but whatever gave you the impression I have ever been in love?"  
  
She loosened the neck of her uniform and whispered huskily, "You can be in lust. That means you can be in love."  
  
"That's just like you, President. Mistaking one thing for the other --"  
  
"I'm not confusing them. But with emotions, I think, you either get the whole package, or nothing. Don't worry your hunky little head, Itsuki-kun. We'll do what we always do; we'll build him up to an emotional climax, we'll tease him with some slight measure of contact, we'll make him realize the world is worth keeping, and life will go on. Trust me, I know how to play him. That's why you chose me, remember?"  
  
He nodded. "Of course. We wouldn't have resorted to anyone but the best when it came to playing others, President. However --"  
  
She turned, unbuttoning her blouse with a wicked grin. "However nothing. If I can get even an esper field agent to act as my boytoy, if I can get that nifty thick cock hard despite your preferences, then I surely can play that much simpler sad sack like a harp. And it's hard already, isn't it?" She caressed his crotch with delicate fingers, licking her lips. "Of course it is."  
  
"You haven't ever manipulated me, President," he gently said, placing his hands on her shoulders. "We just happen to have common goals. And sorry to offend, but Asahina-san is better than you at getting me hard, by the way."  
  
"No surprise. She's also better than you at getting me wet." She smirked evilly. "Still, I already had my main dish for the day, so I'm in the mood for your dessert. It'll help us relieve some stress, let us tackle this with a clearer mind."  
  
He pulled her towards himself, and they started kissing, wildly, clumsily side stepping out of the deserted path and into the green area, stripping each other as they did so. Their tongues fought more than they caressed each other, and their bodies pushed and struggled as they rolled behind a bush.  
  
"HEYYY!" a shrill young voice whined.  
  
"Ah, our deepest apologies!" Itsuki bowed a few times as he rolled back with Haruhi, his lady giggling as a naked pair of identical tiny pink haired girls stared sternly at them. "The next bush is available, isn't it? Never mind us."  
  
Haruhi pulled him on top of her, now wearing nothing but her underwear, socks and shoes, the boy reduced to his shoes, socks, and pants and boxers around his ankles, a trail of rumpled clothes behind them. They fell into the bush, ignoring the orgasmic sounds from a few feet away, which had picked up again. "My boyfriend," she whispered. "That's what they'll call you now, right?"  
  
He took a quick glance at the humping petite forms behind the leaves. And there was another whisper. "Sorry, but I don't like the sound of that. I'll have to be extra-close to him for the next few days, to dispel the rumors. Or I could --"  
  
"Shhh," she said, caressing his hard abs. "Boy, they keep you guys in shape. Never mind them, like anyone ever listens to them anyway. Not like you need any excuse to be close to --"  
  
He silenced her with another kiss, pulled her panties' crotch aside, and thrusted forward to enter her. "Ah!" she cried.  
  
Hard, precise, constant. Relentless. That was the way he did it, and the way she liked it. The other boys she had been with had been boring simps trying too hard to please her, so much that they spent most of the encounters hesitating and asking questions. Itsuki, for all his flaws, and there were so many, didn't waste her time with that crap. That was why she considered him her boyfriend; even without the mental illness that was love, he was the only guy who had given her anything satisfactory in a relationship.  
  
He tugged at her bra with his teeth, lowering it enough to lick at her nipples, closing his eyes and no doubt imagining someone else. She kept on panting, wrapped her legs around his waist, and was more passive than she had been with Mikuru and Madoka earlier. Not because of any gender role shit, but because she was slightly tired by now. It had been a long day.  
  
"Why not --" he panted as well, but still managing to keep a perfect diction. "-- why not ever try to work you wiles on Mikazuki-san, or Kashiwazaki-san?"  
  
"And, and risk one of those bitches biting my clit off?" she grunted, nonetheless finding some added pleasure from the mental image of dominating them in bed. "Besides, besides, Yozora's got to be frigid. She's just -- _fuck! Fuck fuck fuck **fuck**!"_ she spasmed as she shivered in climax. "Ahhhh ..."  
  
He sighed. He had been lucky this time; more often than not lately, he could not bring her to orgasm before he did, and so he then had to degrade himself by licking her privates until she was satisfied. Talking about Sena and Yozora had worked.  
  
Perhaps it even did something for him as well, since one moment after thinking of that, he was ejaculating into her. The idea actually bothered him, to say the least.  
  
They felt the twins' curious eyes fixed on them through the bushes.  
  
Neither gave a single shit, actually.  
  
There were far too many more important things to think about.  
  


* * *

  
  
 _Much Later that Night:_  
  
She woke up from a confusing, scary dream about Setchan and Tsukuyomi.  
  
The dream was violent and red all over, and Konoka was fairly sure Asuna was somewhere in there as well, but she couldn't remember the details too well. Which was most likely for the best, as what she remembered was enough to make her tremble, bathed in cold sweat. Her stomach felt turned upside down, and she had to rush for the bathroom on wobbly legs, panting wildly. It was strange. She had eaten lightly, and that morning, she had felt in excellent physical health. Surely the news on Asuna's parentage couldn't have rattled her that badly, could it?  
  
Still, she did vomit into the toilet, and then, after the initial haze was over, she realized a few things. For one, that man she had forgotten so long ago had been in the dream as well in some capacity, even if, fortunately, she didn't remember all details about his participation either. Then, there was the matter of the intense, burning itch on the back of her left hand.  
  
Konoe Konoka looked at the fair skin that was bulging with a hideous red rash. And worst of iall, there was a complicated design of thick black lines appearing on its surface, sprawling from her wrists to her knuckles. Immediately, she recognized it as something all too similar to what she had seen on Emiya Shirou-sempai a couple nights ago.  
  
"Oh, no," she whispered to herself. "No, no, no, no ..."  
  
The figure was elegant in its simplicity, and under other circumstances, Konoka would have admired it and found it very beautiful. As things were now, it only inspired a mild fear and dread on her. And they were mild only because she had grown quickly accustomed to danger and overwhelming discouraging odds through her adventures.  
  
It looked like two diverging daggers with their handles touching a diagonal straight line between them.   
  
Asuna appeared on the bathroom's doorstep, rubbing her eyes lazily. "Konoka?" she yawned cutely. "What's wrong now?"  
  
Turning around slowly, very pale except for her red and twitching hand, Konoka raised her left arm and showed her. "Asuna-chan. I think ... we might have a situation here."  
  
Kagurazaka Asuna was not terribly feminine, but she had never been the cursing type either, outside of situations of extreme anger or stress.  
  
"Oh, shit," she murmured now, snapping alert, a green eye and a blue one open as widely as they could go.  
  
For once, Konoka didn't chide her for swearing.  
  
"Let's go see Grandpa."  
  


* * *

  
  
 **Next** : Konoka.


	9. Period Eight: Konoka

The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery.

  _Mahou Sensei Negima_  and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_  and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

  _Fate Stay Night_  and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

  _The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruh_ i and all related elements and characters belong to Tanigawa Nagaru and Kadokawa Shoten.

 All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for writing the bulk of the Eishun/Asuna scene. Also, thanks to Shadow Crystal Mage for lending the Servant summoning scene.

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**

* * *

  

**Period Eight: Konoka.**

* * *

At first, Konoe Konoka had always been alone, aside from her parents. To be exact, while their mountain villa had always been bustling with people and activity, and all those people loved her dearly, especially her parents, she still sorely possessed a heartfelt need for companionship of her own age. She wasn't even allowed to play with the few nearby children of the servants, most of whom were either too old or too young to function as her playmates, regardless.  
  
That didn't change until that afternoon. She could still remember it clearly: she had been bouncing her favorite ball against a wall once again when she saw Cousin Tsuruko, followed as always by Cousin Motoko, bringing with them two much smaller girls around Konoka's own age. One of them was really cute, with pale skin and black hair. The other one was crying, and seemed younger and weaker than the first child. She had much longer and lighter hair, and huge round glasses that kept sliding down her face. Dad, of course, had been very quick to come out and greet them.  
  
"... I understand," Konoe Eishun pondered gravelly minutes after, alone with his wife, Tsuruko and Motoko, while Konoka's nanny tended to the children. "And I'm very sorry. Despite her eccentricities, she was a pleasant person, and every moment spent with her was a memorable one. So full of life, too."  
  
Cousin Tsuruko bit her lower lip at the praise, and Motoko seemed similarly uncomfortable. "Let's be honest and straightforward on this subject, please," the elder of the two sisters replied sharply.   
  
"I am," Eishun replied with straight-laced seriousness. "I never had any reason to hold ill will against her."  
  
"I'm glad for that," the tall young woman answered the same way. "Even so, she was unbalanced, a danger to herself and others, and Father never hid the fact that he considered her a shame on the clan. Sadly, the child seems to have inherited most of her quirks, and we dread what that means for her future. I won't lie to you. Father may be eager to get rid of her, but I won't do you the disservice of dumping her on your doorstep as he intended. I merely come to deliver this warning, and to plead for Setsuna-chan instead."  
  
"But she's still too young," argued Eishun, as his wife frowned in silence, sitting two steps behind him. "You can't seriously think she's already fated for insanity. I'm sure she only needs strong, caring guidance. Not that I'm suggesting you couldn't supply it," he added carefully.  
  
Tsuruko spoke sadly then. "Perhaps we could, but I'm sure Father wouldn't want to do so regardless. I'm afraid ... he might already have made the situation worse. I won't make any accusations towards anyone, however, but suffice it to say, at this point, I believe the child's psyche has already been damaged too much for repair. That's even without considering her heritage. We aren't certain of her father's identity, but all three of the most likely candidates are men of dark deeds and questionable stability themselves. Haru-chan met too many harmful characters during the time she escaped us. Our main suspect is none but David Cain, the hired killer."  
  
"We clashed twice in Roanapur," Eishun reminisced. "I had been led to believe he was dead."  
  
"He just resurfaced in the Pokolistan borders, but we doubt he'd try to claim the child for himself. Even so, his influence could be troubling, one way or another. Some also suspect an American, a soldier in the criminal underworld, but we have virtually no information on him, not even a name, just some vague ramblings she made about him. And, as for the third person, well ..."  
  
Once she finally revealed the name, it was Eishun's turn to frown deeply. "Please mind your words when it comes to him. Regardless of his current path, he's still my comrade in arms, and I owe him my life twice-over."  
  
"My apologies," Tsuruko said in a dry tone. "But he hasn't been the same person ever since Princess Arika's de-- apparent demise. Now, he's no better than his new masters ... but enough of that. The other child, Setsuna, is a polite, sweet angel, scorned and rejected by others only because of her heritage. I'm ashamed to admit that includes most of our family."  
  
At that, for a moment, Motoko looked down guiltily.  
  
"Oh, indeed?" the tall man raised an interested eyebrow.  
  
"I'm not doing the same thing as with the other child," Tsuruko argued before continuing, "She's half human, half crow demon. Both races fear and despise her. My fiancée and me would raise her as our own if we could, but Father opposes the idea vehemently. I definitely can and will beg for shelter for her, at least until a better solution can be reached."  
  
Konoe Konoeko's face strained itself at the mention of the crow demon tribe, but her husband only nodded. "I can't deny you any favors, Tsuruko. I'll adopt both of them."  
  
"I still advise you against Tsukuyomi," Tsuruko warned. "She's wicked. I beg of you, don't cradle a viper to your breast."  
  
"Even the most poisonous viper can be defanged, Tsuruko," the dark haired man told her. "And she's not an animal, but an orphan with no direction, just as I once was. I'm confident I can give her one, just as you did for me."  
  
After a moment, his elder visitor nodded. "Very well. If anyone can, that should be you. You have my eternal gratitude."  
  
Konoeko, as usual, accepted the decision without a single voiced protest. But he could tell she was not best pleased with the agreement.  
  
He felt sure the children would change her mind soon.  
  
In a way, they did.

* * *

  
 _Now:_  
  
"How did it taste, Setchan?" Konoka asked quietly, distracting Sakurazaki Setsuna from the conversation she was having with Asuna.  
  
The pale swordsgirl quickly looked at her other side, to see her longtime friend and Magistra Magi sitting next to the window, with her chin in the palm of her hand, and her eyes half closed. Konoka's vision rested on the quickly changing landscape around the train that was taking the three of them to Kyoto; Headmaster Konoe was very considerate, in Setsuna's opinion, making sure they had a car all to themselves. It made keeping guard over her Ojou-sama far easier, as well.  
  
And of course, she had let that effort go to waste by distracting herself through idle chat with Asuna-san. Truly, she was the worst. "W-What do you mean, Ojou-sama?" she asked, then quickly amended, after the mildly jaded glare her precious angel gave her, "Sorry, Kono-chan?"  
  
Konoka gave a small sigh. "I was talking about our kiss. Yours was the first one I got to taste, since when I kissed Negi-kun, he was almost wholly frozen, and there was no taste at all on his lips."  
  
Setsuna, predictably enough, began choking as her face went beet red.  
  
Asuna patted her sword instructor's back softly and told her roommate, "You didn't miss much. Negi's mouth tastes like rancid milk. Easy there, Setsuna-san. Konoka's only trolling you."  
  
"I'm not!" Konoka protested, giving them a cutely contrite look. "I really want to know. Setchan's kiss tasted like walnuts with a thin layer of cream, but I'm truly curious about how my own lips taste."  
  
Asuna raised her eyebrows. "For real? Sometimes you're kinda weird, Kono-chan. I mean, you just got that creepy mark signaling you for that Holy Grail War shady business, and you're thinking of how lips taste?"  
  
"Asuna-hime-sama, please!" Setsuna felt she had to intervene, despite the coughing fiit in which she was still convulsed.  
  
"Eeeeeehhhh," Konoka all but whined, absently toying with the long gloves she was wearing, the left one covering her Command Seals. "I can't do anything about it until we're with Dad, so I might as well distract myself. Sorry if I disturbed you, Setchan."  
  
"You ... you are never a cause for disturbance, Ojo-- Kono-chan," her Ministra said as quickly as she could. Looking down, she cleared her throat. "W-Well, if you really feel you need to know, it ... it took me by surprise, s-so I can't remember the taste too well, but ... but it was sort of spicy, but sweet at the same time ..."  
  
"For real?" asked Asuna. "Better than Negi's, then?"  
  
Setsuna swallowed a very large knot. "Hime-sama, please! Don't put me in the position of favoring one of my Magistra over the other!"  
  
Asuna wagged a finger. "Ah, no, no, no! If you can call her 'Kono-chan', you can keep calling me 'Asuna-san' as before! Or heck, even better, call me 'Asuna-chan', or just 'Asuna'!"  
  
"Or Su-chan," Konoka added dryly.  
  
It was Asuna's turn to cough violently for no apparent reason. "Um. Anyway. I don't want to ever be called a Princess! Ptooie!"  
  
Setsuna looked intrigued at the violence of that reaction. "Why are you so bothered by that?"  
  
Konoka sighed. "It's a long story. For now, let's just say it has a lot to do with her heritage giving her nothing but headaches."  
  
"Y-Yeah, you know, like being kidnapped and being put in weird costumes and -- you know the rest," Asuna muttered, leaving it at that for everyone's good. Mainly her own, true, but she figured she was entitled to at least that much by now.  
  
Setsuna nodded slowly. "I understand. It must be quite taxing for you. Still, please find comfort in the fact you aren't a reject from a cursed bloodline that --"  
  
"Setchan!" Konoka intervened. "What have we discussed about self-esteem and proper pride?"  
  
"I am a wonderful person because of my own merit, and I am a hard worker who has nothing to apologize for," Setsuna recited her lines mechanically.  
  
"Better. But next time, with more feeling, okay?" the Konoe heiress chided. Asuna couldn't help but crack a smile. She was actually glad the Headmaster had insisted on her going with them to Kyoto; she felt honestly better alone with them than having to finally settle her pending issues with Negi. Still, it was obvious Setsuna was not fully seeing things the same way.  
  
"I still don't understand why Negi-sensei couldn't come with us," the Shinmeiryuu practitioner mused, folding her arms. "Surely, his expertise and protection would be the most appropriate for this mission."  
  
"Looks like Grandpa thinks he deserves a rest after all he's gone through recently," Konoka vaguely shrugged.  
  
"And I don't think he truly trusts Princess Arika, either," Asuna stated bluntly. "And, since the brat can't do anything now without letting Mommy know --"  
  
Setsuna was startled by Asuna's unusual bitterness. "Hime-sam-- Asuna-san! Why wouldn't the Headmaster trust her? And why shouldn't Negi-sensei trust his own mother?"  
  
"I think Asuna-chan is just a little bit jealous," Konoka mused, again looking through the window. "Let her be."  
  
"I'm not jealous! Why should I be? I've gone through life just fine without a mother for years!" Asuna snapped.  
  
Konoka fully closed her eyes. "Lucky you, then."  
  
That made the other two girls gasp.  
  
Setsuna finally gave Asuna a mildly accusing glare, and Asuna gulped and touched Konoka's shoulder. "Kono-chan, I'm sorry. Sometimes, I'm an idiot and forget you --"  
  
"Oh, I was actually saying it because of Setchan. Apologize to her instead," Konoka shook her head, eyes still closed. "You have nothing to apologize to me for, Asuna-chan." _If anything, it's the other way around_ , she thought.  
  
The unwelcomed memories crept back on her. A cold, rainy night. A tall man showing up at their doorstep, fairly smelly of liquor. Asking for Asuna. An Asuna who had chosen to spend that special night with Iinchou.  
  
A kiss. Then, during the kiss, a shameful realization. And then Konoka had been pushed back on her bed, but instead of feeling the weight of a man on her right afterwards, as she had expected, she heard his strong, hurried steps taking him out, into the rainstorm. And he was gone.  
  
Once alone, her own shame and realization sank in. Why had she done that? What had moved her to it? Had it been mere petty jealousy? It couldn't be that, she didn't hate Iinchou, and she loved Asuna-chan no matter what she did ... right?  
  
And while he was attractive, she didn't feel attracted to him ... right?  
  
She wouldn't fully understand, or at least so she thought, until roughly one year later. She had started remembering the blocked bits, the times after Setsuna and Tsukuyomi's departure from her home, shortly after crash landing on her head in Mundus Magicus, and while traveling the prairies and woods with Kaede.  
  
Konoka supposed that explained a few things about herself, even if it also raised a lot of further questions.  
  
Yet, the core question on her mind had been that, until minutes ago. How did that kiss taste for Setsuna? It was funny how it worked, how that seemed more important than her own future, than how would Grandpa explain her involvement to the Church, than what would Daddy say. More important than anything else.  
  
Takahata's kiss had tasted of cigarette smoke and those sips of alcohol she and Yomi-chan had taken in secret so long ago.  
  
But her first kiss, long before that, had tasted even worse.  
  
Setchan's had been the only kiss Konoka had ever really liked.  
  
And her heart longed for more of those lips. Despite her mind's warnings.

* * *

  
Her father was waiting for them on the platform of the train station, as expected, resplendent in an elegant pure white suit with black tie, a half smoked cigarette between his his lips. Behind him stood a familiar young woman hardly two years older than Konoka, wearing a simple, long black buttoned-up skirt, with a red tie and glasses that complemented her short brown hair nicely.  
  
"Daddy!" Konoka ran into his arms, and he ruffled her hair fondly, while Setsuna and Asuna bowed deeply. "How have things been going? Oh dear, look at yourself, you must have lost like five kilos ..."  
  
"Nonsense, I'm still the same weight as before, Konoka." He smiled for her, yet the way he held her gloved hands was one deeply careful and wary. "Ah. You surely remember Honami Takase Ambler, from our Junior division?"  
  
"Ojou-sama, Sakurazaki-sama, Kagurazaka-sama," the studious looking girl bowed her head for them. Her Kyoto accent was as thick as ever. "It's my pleasure, seeing you again after the rebellion of Amagasaki."  
  
"Hey, yeah, I remember you!" Asuna said. "You were one of the defenders who were frozen by Sextum, right? Nice to see you again. You too, of course, Eishun-sama. Sorry to disturb you like this."  
  
"My daughter's safety will never be a cause of disturbance for me, Asuna-kun," he reassured her, his hands on Konoka's shoulders. "Please follow me to our limousine. We will discuss this with greater ease on our way home."  
  
Minutes after, inside the spacious rear compartment of the luxury vehicle, separated from the driver by a thick opaque window, Asuna, Setsuna and Honami sat at a side, facing Eishun, who was keeping Konoka hugged against him across from them. He finally let her go with a sigh. "Very well. Let me see the Seals, please. Never mind Honami-kun's presence. Since she studied in Europe, she's more knowledgeable about the Western based specifics of the Grail magic than we are."  
  
"Y-Yes, of course," Konoka swallowed lightly before pulling her left glove off, showing the Seals on her skin, which seemed to have grown darker since the last time Setsuna and Asuna had seen them. Both of them swallowed hard. Eishun, despite his stoic nature, couldn't repress a vague flinch, either. "It's not burning or itching anyway, that's a good sign, right?"  
  
"Oh my," Honami adjusted her glasses and gave the hand a long hard look. "I have never looked at one of these outside of Father's books, but yes, it does seem to be a genuine Command mark. For a Servant of the Avenger class, apparently. That's only a guess, mind, since there has been only a single Avenger on record before, during the Third and last War."  
  
"So Konoka will have to fight in that weird war of mages after all?" Asuna asked. "Can't she just, I don't know, hand these Seals off to someone else?"  
  
"That's why she is here, to determine if such an action is possible," Eishun kept his tone steady and calm. "The Council of Kansai has started deliberating on the subject."  
  
"It has been said there are methods to transfer the mastery of a Servant from one magus to another," Honami stated, "but since most magi would never voluntarily choose to abdicate that role after actively looking for it, it's extremely difficult to find information on how it could be done. Our experts are still researching on it, but sadly, Western magecraft has always been an alien concept for most of our Association. Why didn't you bring Professor Springfield? Maybe he --"  
  
"No, he wouldn't know how to do it either," Asuna interjected a bit too sharply. "It's okay, I'm sure we can get things done without him for once."  
  
Eishun managed to half-smile. "I see. Have you fought with him again, Asuna-kun?"  
  
"Not exactly!" Asuna muttered. "I ... sorry, but I don't want to talk too much about it. It, it really doesn't matter, anyway! Konoka is the only who should concern us now!"  
  
Eishun hummed, apparently deciding to humor her for now at least. "Very well. About the circumstances surrounding this apparent War ... Father-in-law said there has been only one Master and Servant pair discovered so far."  
  
Setsuna nodded. "Indeed. One Emiya Shirou-san, adopted son of Emiya Kiritsugu and Irisviel von Einzbern. He seems ignorant and reluctant about the prospects of joining a Grail War, but considering the nature of his parents, one must, in my humble opinion, remain wary and watchful of his actions, all the same."  
  
Konoka blinked. "Huh? Is there anything wrong about his parents?"  
  
"They call Emiya Kiritsugu the 'Mage Killer', a former professional field agent often tasked with the eradication of renegade mage users," Eishun said, his smile now really gone. At Konoka and Asuna's surprise, he continued, while Setsuna and Honami faces went tight with strain. "I have spoken with him a few times, and I believe his goals were always sincere, for a hitman, even if I never could agree with his methods. But Father-In-Law trusts him enough to grant him peaceful haven in Mahora after his retirement, and I defer to his better judgment."  
  
Setsuna quickly became tongue-tied. "I, I, I never meant to imply that I didn't trust Konoemon-sensei's honorable decisions or wisdom, it's just --!"  
  
"No need to apologize, Setchan," Konoka tried to cut the flow of nervous apologies as quickly as she could. "Being ever so careful is part of your charm! And like always, I'm thankful you put so much effort towards my safety."  
  
"It's ... it's what I live for, Ojou-sama! There's no need to thank me, really."  
  
Since Honami-san was there, Konoka decided not to push the 'Call me Kono-chan!' agenda yet again. They would have plenty of time for that back at home.  
  
Or so she hoped, at least.

* * *

  
 _Back then:_  
  
While Konoeko tended to the children, Motoko included, Eishun and Tsuruko stayed behind, sharing tea and darker concerns in the eerie quiet of the early evening.  
  
"Setsuna is her daughter, isn't she?" the man asked, keeping his gaze lower than his norm. "That's why you brought her to me."  
  
"Would you reject her, otherwise?" the younger practitioner asked.  
  
"No." The answer was fast and precise. "Still, Father would never allow an Aoyama, even one by adoption, to take care of a demon crow without ... what I must call 'good cause'. Who is her father?"  
  
Tsuruko gave him a mildly surprised look. "How can you ask that? Do you really believe her to have been the promiscuous type?"  
  
"Far from it." Again, the answer came quick and decisive. "But I can't fault her for continuing ahead like I did. And she was rather popular in her village, so --"  
  
"Eishun, I can't believe you," the young woman said. "Aren't you the least bit concerned Setsuna might be yours?"  
  
"That would be impossible. Bird demons cannot breed with human beings," the man answered evenly. "And she would have called me if --"  
  
"We just learned that she tried to, on her death bed," she said, and Eishun went pale. "The tribe never sent the message, hating you as much as they did. It's only now they admitted to it, while delivering the child to us."  
  
He tightened a shaking fist, impotently. "Why, that Tokisaka ... I should have --!"  
  
"Furthermore," Tsuruko added, "Setsuna does feature human traits. Impossible as it should have been, she seems to be actually half-bred, which is why the tribe believes her to be cursed. She already has established sexual characteristics, apparently from birth. And she has albinism, although that, in and of itself, is no proof. We had to dye her hair, and her wings ... are also white."  
  
"But ... but how?!" he gasped.  
  
Tsuruko stared evenly at him over the table. "Perhaps Father's suspicions about your true origins are well founded, after all. I would ask Konoemon-sensei, if I were you. Although he probably isn't sure himself. After all, it's difficult, even for the best, to keep track of his lineage."  
  
"No, that couldn't be," he denied it nearly vehemently. "What that would mean, for Konoeko, and Konoka, and --!"  
  
"Konoka-chan is completely normal and healthy, isn't she?" She moved forward to comfort him, with a hand on his shoulder. "The Juraian legacy won't let her or her descendants suffer. And even if you weren't related to your wife, her heritage by itself already supplies a high enough degree of consanguinity to render it a moot point. Eishun," she squeezed his shoulder, and, with his other hand, forced his chin up. Her eyes met his. "You have saved two worlds more than once. You have pulled this Association from the brink of disaster. No matter from where you come, either the rags of the ghettos or the most illustrious lineage in Japan, there's no warrior who was brought more honor to the Aoyama clan. And if anyone can perpetuate that legacy through your daughters, that's you."  
  
"Tsuruko," he breathed out.  
  
Just like it had been back when he had trained her, their lips collided. It had been so long. And of course, so many things had changed ever since, including ...  
  
"Your fiancé," he argued, pulling back with a sense of urgency.  
  
"With his lover in Okinawa, right now," she smiled sadly. "I love him madly, but I realize now he'll never change."  
  
"... my wife ..." he swallowed for air, as her swift hands undid his belt.  
  
"She probably wonders why you don't spend more time with other women like the husbands of all her friends," Tsuruko hummed while pulling his pants down. "She's more clever than you think, so odds are she has figured it out, but ... you and I know, in these circles, infidelity of either sort is the expected common coin."  
  
"That ... that is not, it shouldn't be --" he gasped before her lips descended on his member, and he clutched onto the table, hissing, "Godssssss ..."  
  
He squeezed his eyes tightly close as she fellated him, now more expertly than when he had taught her, and for a while, he thought he had found love with her. Just like with Sakurazaki, and that teammate before her, and later, Konoeko ...  
  
Yet, it always ended up with emotional dissatisfaction, didn't it? In the end, he always ended up thinking of him. But what the heart wishes for and what the body craves for are too often different things, and so he quickly grew harder than he had been since Konoka's birth under the relentless assault of Tsuruko's lips and tongue. He whispered a "Forgive me" as he spilled his seed into her mouth, and then, as she sat back swallowing elegantly, he grabbed her, pushed her against the wooden floor, and undid the top of her gi, and the bandages covering her full breasts. She laughed lightly, with a hint of emptiness, as he licked her chest and nibbled on it, and then, after fumbling with her pants, he entered her for the first time in more than half a decade.  
  
They rolled across the floor between grunts and muted intimacies, all the while Eishun's life ran through his mind, his failures whipping him between flashes of pleasure and fond memories from his triumphs and comrades.  
  
If that child really was his, he wouldn't let her down, like his own father, whoever he had been, had done to him. One way or another, he'd make up to her. He would shape her into the kind of decent person and honorable warrior he could never be.  
  
And mostly, he never would bring another illegitimate child to suffer in this rough world.  
  
That was why he pulled out at the last moment, spilling white all over the belly and chest of a moaning Tsuruko.  
  
It was better that way.  
  
........  
  
Aoyama Motoko, on her way back from the bathroom, rushed away from the door where she'd been listening, face bright red, heart patting madly. She covered her face with both small hands as she ran, crying, drying her tears before Konoeko-sama could see her.  
  
As usual, she was mortally fearful of her sister. Which was why she never told anyone about it. Not Naru-sempai, not Konno-sempai, not Kaolla-san, not the Urashimas, not even Konoeko-sama. Mainly, never the Konoes or her own family.  
  
Assuming they and the Konoes weren't the exact same family, after all. It was all oh so very confusing.  
  
Inwardly, she swore she'd never marry. Or even just look for another to 'enjoy' such dirty company with. She would stick to the path of the blade, where it was safe, where things were simple and correct. Yes.  
  
It was better that way.

* * *

 

 _Deep breaths, don't panic. Deep breaths, don't panic_ , Setsuna thought as she stopped before the library's door.  
  
And she remained quiet where she was. Stupid feet.  
  
 _I can't possibly make Eishun-sama wait! What's wrong with me now?_ she chided herself, torn between annoyance and fear, but nonetheless resting her knuckles on the door's wood.  
  
 _Do you really need to ask yourself?_ wondered that small voice in her head that sounded suspiciously like Chisame-san. _It's the same crap as ever; you have zero trust in yourself, and you have the same slavish devotion to people who merely use you as a tool, so of course, yet again, you're acting like a spineless paranoid sycophant._  
  
Setsuna frowned. _Thank you for the usual deep insight, Imaginary Chisame-san who is more annoying and bitter than the real Chisame-san._    
  
 _You're welcome._  
  
So Setsuna sighed and softly rapped her knuckles on the door.  
  
"Please come in," Eishun-sama's calmed voice came from the inside.  
  
There was no turning back now, so Setsuna pushed the door and walked in keeping her head low. Eishun-sama sat at the head of a big table between tall shelves, in his white robes, and sporting a beautiful if uneasy smile. "Take a seat, Setsuna-kun. I trust I haven't bothered you with my sudden call?"  
  
"The wishes of my Lord are never a bother. I would rush to your side even if both my legs had just been cut off, Sir."  
  
 _Geez_ , the inner Chisame cringed. _That's got to be a new low for bootlicking, even for you_.  
  
Setsuna ignored the voice in her head as she sat down across the seat of her beloved's father, the man who had always been so cool and understanding of a reject and freak of nature like herself. The sole person, except for Ojou-sama, Asuna-san, Negi-sensei and the Headmaster, who had always had faith on her. Whose trust she had betrayed during most of her stay in Mundus Magicus. He probably wanted to confront her on that, so she decided to get over with it quickly. "Sire, I realize I failed in my duties during the bulk of our misadventures in Mundus Magicus. I lost sight of Ojou-sama for what amounted to weeks in that realm, a time during which she might have died several times over. I apologize deeply, and I'm willing to pay for my failure as a bodyguard. However, should you forgive me, I swear I'll protect her efficiently during the upcoming crisis. I have grown stronger and wiser ... or so I have been told ..."  
  
He blinked. "Oh. Oh! Were you thinking ... no, no, Setsuna-kun, I haven't summoned you here to punish you. Those circumstances escaped your control, or anyone else's for that matter. I blame you for nothing. When Konoka needed you the most, you were at her side, and protected her against Tsukuyomi and others. I am proud of you ..." and here he paused. "... daughter."  
  
"Please, don't honor me with that word," she requested. "It makes me feel mortified."  
  
"No, you deserve it, and more," he insisted. "For long, you have been treated as an inferior by many, including ourselves, in a way. We have done you far too much disservice. And now, learning you almost died in Mundus Magicus ... I have decided I need to tell you how much you matter to me. Just in case."  
  
She gained a deep shade of blush on her pale face. "N-No, please! I am content with my lot in life. You have been far more generous and kind than a stranger like me ever deserved. You gave me a home, an identity, a path and some respect. It's thanks to you I can look at myself in the mirror. Even if I lived one hundred years, I never could repay you."  
  
"No. It's the other way around," argued the man. "Setsuna ... for some time now, you have been under the impression ... that your father is David Cain, the same as Tsukuyomi's, but that might not be actually true."  
  
She blinked in alarm. "Elder?!"  
  
It was his turn to look down. "That was the bird tribe's official stance. I have been led to believe your mother and Tsukuyomi's spent some time together as the latter was on the run from the Aoyamas, and they might have met Cain during that time. However ... shortly before that, I met your mother." He took his glasses off and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Forgive me. I should have told you this much sooner."  
  
"My... My mother..." Setsuna's voice grew shaky. "Do you have any ... any ...?"  
  
He shook his head. "Regrettably, no. The clan and the Association have always had strained relations with the bird tribe, as you know. Any mementos I kept from her have been stolen away or destroyed during my absences." He gestured with a hand to placate her.  "I know it may seem unfair and cruel. But they had reasons they no doubt considered valid. We couldn't show any signs of weakness or favoritism towards any particular race of hanyou. And we were barely holding ourselves together back then."  
  
"I ... I never realized. Raising me must have been such a cause of concern for you --"  
  
"I'd have kept doing it even if they had kicked me out. Because, Setsuna, I'd have fought for you to the end. All those years, I loved you as much as I loved Konoka. Please let me continue. I had to love you that much, Setsuna. Because, it doesn't really matter if you are or not, biologically, but, for all intents and purposes, you could have been, should have been, and are ... my daughter."  
  
Setsuna stiffened in place, all traces of color leaving her being. After gasping for air in vain, she rested both hands on the table. "What --! What, what, what ... what are you saying, please?"  
  
He looked at her face. "I beg for your forgiveness, although I know I don't deserve it. But it was the only way to keep you here, where you could be safe. Had it been known, we might have lost everything. Konoka and you included." He had a tear running down each eye now. It was the first time Setsuna saw him, or any man other than Negi, Keitaro-sempai and Itoshiki for that matter, crying. "But yes, I do believe you are my daughter, because I doubt your mother would ever get herself involved with someone like Cain, and --"  
  
"But ... but, but I love Kono-chan!" she let a strangled cry out. It was morbidly almost funny, in a way, how the pet name came out naturally now of all times.  
  
He smiled as best as he could. "I know. And that's good. Sisters should love each other, and your mutual devotion is --"  
  
"NO!" For the first time ever, she interrupted him. "I love Kono-chan!"  
  
Eishun now was the one who stiffened, with wide eyes behind his glasses. His mouth hang slightly loose. But when he saw the girl start weeping uncontrollably, he carefully reached over to touch her shoulders. "Setsuna-kun," he whispered. "I realize I am the last man who ever should give advice on love. But, taking some wisdom from someone with more common sense than me ... well, that person once told me, when I opened my heart to her, 'Love, when unrequited, causes pain and suffering. But when love is mutual and sincere, that is never a bad or shameful thing. Never'. Or something along those lines," he sheepishly admitted. "Maybe I should have taken her advice then, and perhaps I would be happy now next to the person I loved then, the one I was never brave enough to belong to; but on the other hand, I never would have had Konoka or you. That doesn't matter now. What matters is, perhaps you should learn from my mistakes and --"  
  
Setsuna could not take it anymore. Standing up abruptly, she ran away with a high pitched cry, hiding her face between her hands, and escaped through a new, neatly Setsuna-shaped hole in the library's wall.  
  
 _Well, that went along as smoothly as expected, Handsome_! a familiar ghost of a voice rang inside of Eishun's skull.  
  
 _Please shut up, Imaginary Nagi who might be even more annoying than the real Nagi._

* * *

  
Konoka had left Asuna finishing her bath and brooding, then headed for her old bedroom while tightening the belt of her white bathrobe around her waist. Frankly, for once, she felt too dragged down by her own problems to keep helping Asuna with her set for now. She had tried, but Asuna wasn't answering like she should, so it was time to let her cool down on her own. Sometimes, that was the only thing you could do when Asuna played the emotionally challenged card too much. Although, to be honest, Konoka could tell Asuna had never had it so bad before.  
  
She would have to get her and Negi together and mediate as they sorted their issues out. As she pondered that, while turning a corner, Setsuna ran tearful face-first into her.  
  
"Ow!" Konoka said, falling on her butt and dropping her basket of bath products. "What's so -- Setchan?" She blinked. "Why are you crying?"  
  
"Ah? Ah, sorry, sorry, I'm not crying!!" the other girl denied quickly, looking aside and rubbing her eyes with the back of a hand. "This, this is nothing but an allergic reaction us birds sometimes have! P-please let me help you up!"  
  
But Konoka was already back on her feet and patting her robe back into proper shape. "It's okay, no harm done. Weren't you with Daddy? I know Honami-sempai was looking for you, saying he had sent for you --"  
  
"Ahhh ... yes. Y-Yes, she found me, and told me, and ... we talked. Eishun-sama and me, that is."  
  
"Good. What did you talk about, to leave you crying?"  
  
"I, I wasn't crying. Not at all!" Konoka gave her that level but blunt quiet glare she usually reserved for Asuna's worst crises. If anything, it only made Setsuna flush and fluster harder. "R-Really! It'd be, it wouldn't be right to assume, Eishun-sama didn't do anything wrong to me, how could he, he's such a, such a nice gentleman, and he's my fa--" She bit her tongue.  
  
"Excuse me?" Konoka asked.  
  
"Nothing!" Setsuna ran for her bedroom. "Please excuse me!"  
  
Konoka ran after her. "Setchan, wait! Why are you acting so strange now? Did he tell you anything about Arika-sama's past?"  
  
Setsuna looked back at her as she reached her bed. "Huh? What, what would Arika-hime-sama have to do with this?"  
  
"Ah, so it's actually something, regardless. And something very serious, I assume? Tell me, because I'm not leaving until you do!"  
  
"Then, then I'm the one who should leave --"  
  
But Konoka already had an arm on the door, blocking her way. "Uh-uh, not that, either. As mistress of the house, I want to know what's transpiring under my roof."  
  
Setsuna grew pale enough to make the Joker look like Rakan. "Oh, no. Oh no no no. Please don't make me tell you. I couldn't possibly --!"  
  
"Either you tell me, or I'll ask Daddy, Setchan. One way or another, I'll know."  
  
Setsuna looked pitifully at her, then whined weakly and softly. But Konoka kept glaring at her in that collected but merciless way. So Setsuna lowered her head and muttered something.  
  
"Louder, please," Konoka asked. "I can't hear you."  
  
"Mmmmmeishun-sama, mmmmmrrrnothisfault I'm sure, mmmmnowayitcouldactuallybeeitherway..."  
  
"Please talk clearly, Setchan! What did Daddy do?"  
  
"Muh-maybe he only has a fever and he's delirious --"  
  
"Setchan!"  
  
Setsuna bawled again, in a way that would have startled anyone else in Ala Alba. "He told me he's my father too, had an affair with my mother, but that can't be, it's impossible!"  
  
Konoka recoiled back, with truly gigantic eyes taking over most of her face.  
  
Setsuna crumbled down on her bed. "There's no way a freak of nature like me could be related to Kono-chan! I refuse to believe it! Maybe, maybe he's being mind-controlled!"  
  
Konoka had to sit down on the bed's edge, fanning herself with a hand. After a few moments, when Setsuna broke her laments to look at her with concern, the heiress recomposed herself. "Are you ... are you sure that's what he said?"  
  
Setsuna managed a nod.  
  
Konoka took a long breath in, then released it. "I see. I guess that explains why they would bring you here, back then ..."  
  
"Are-are you mad at me?"  
  
Konoka looked at her. "Mad at you? Why would I be? You're the main victim in all of this! But Daddy!" she fumed. "Oh, yes, I'm mad at Daddy! Again with his secrets, with his lies, and I bet Grandpa knew too! Just like Arika-sama kept things from Asuna-chan! Why do these adults do this? Was it a requisite to join Ala Rubra?"  
  
Setsuna blinked. "Um, again, what does Arika-hime-sama have to do with --"  
  
"Do you have any idea of what she does with Negi-kun, Setchan?" asked her beloved.  
  
"Um, I'm not sure what are you getting at, but -- but --"  
  
"She fucks him, Setchan."  
  
For a moment, Setsuna tried to understand what had Konoka just said, because it surely couldn't have use any conjugation of the verb 'to fuck'. It had to be something else fitting this bizarre situation, because she surely could never have said anything like --  
  
"She fucks him," Konoka repeated, even more clearly now.  
  
"Eeeeeeeehhhhhhh," was all Setsuna could say.  
  
Konoka stood up and began to paced back and forth before her. "Of course, that's because she fucked her Daddy before that, or rather, he fucked her, whatever, the thing is Asuna was born from that. Yeah, Asuna is Negi-kun's sister, weird, huh? And Chisame is his sister too, because Negi's dad was another ecchi flirt and fucked Chisame's mom, and that's the way the adult world works, do you see?"  
  
By now, Setsuna was hyperventilating.  
  
Konoka looked at her again, this time a bit sourly. "Don't overreact, Setchan. We both know you're in too good shape for that."  
  
"But Oj-- Kono-chan! It's a matter of simple ... it's all too ... all too strange and twisted! Of course I have to --!"  
  
Konoka folded her arms and nodded. "Of course you have to adapt and roll with it, Setchan. I know. That's what I'm going to do to."  
  
"But, but I wasn't going to say that --"  
  
"So." Konoka declared quietly, reaching down to start undoing her own belt. "If Negi-kun does it with his mom, if his mom did it with her dad, if Paru-chan approves it or at least won't call the cops on them, if everyone in Ala Rubra did it with everyone else they pleased ... then I'm not going to bother with keeping up the appearance of propriety anymore. Don't you think that's fair? After all, everyone says we're the next Ala Rubra. Then let's be just like them," she concluded, letting the robe slip down to her slipper-clad feet. As always, she went bare-ass naked underneath.  
  
She felt more frustrated than ever. She had been willing to keep her newly awakened childhood memories a secret, she had tried to be understanding of her elders and her reasons. But after this ... not anymore. She couldn't be a good girl if her beloved Dad wasn't, after all, a good man, and if even Negi-kun was a naughty boy. That was a basic matter of genetics and education combined. Maybe that awful man, way back then, had been right after all, in a way, and she was a naughty child too. Or she had turned into one. It would explain why she almost betrayed poor Asuna-chan that one time. However, first things came first.  
  
Setsuna's eyes bugged out. "But, but that's not, I'm sure it's not, please put some clothes back on, what does Haruna-san have to do with --"  
  
Konoka tossed herself on the thin swordsgirl, surrounding her firm slim body with her arms, and planted a long repressed deep kiss on her mouth as she tackled her against the mattress.  
  
Setsuna's right leg began twitching spastically.  
  
No, Konoka thought, she definitely wasn't a good pure girl after all.  
  
And it felt great!

* * *

  
  
 _Meanwhile, elsewhere, in another world:_  
  
Her memories of that day were clear as crystal, for better or worse. She had been playing ball with Konoka-hime-sama near the river, while Setsuna-oneesama was doing an errand for Konoeko-sama, who mostly used her as her errand girl whenever Eshun-sama wasn't looking. Good thing the bitch was dead now. Generally, the world improved when someone died.  
  
That had been exactly why Tsukuyomi had done what she did that day. Because Konoka-hime-sama, cute and lovable as she was, had stepped over the line. Perhaps without really noticing it, but what difference did that make? It wasn't like pointing it out to the lovely thick headed princess would change anything for the lowly peasant Tsukuyomi. That was the way the world worked, after all, and Tsukuyomi, fast learner she was, already was aware of that.  
  
The way Hime-sama proudly talked about Setsuna-oneesama, and how strong she was, and how much she liked her, was enough to tell Tsukuyomi she considered her hers. She, who wasn't her flesh and blood sister! She, who could have anyone she wanted as her family, had to take away the only family Tsukuyomi had!  
  
And yet, she ended up losing her anyway. Because of what she did right afterwards. But she had no regrets. Given the choicee now, she would push her into the water again. Only this time, she would make sure to stab her a lot before.  
  
She should have done that then, looking back on it. Ah well.  
  
Of course, the Konoeko bitch was deadly furious at her afterwards, and even Eishun-sama lost all his former good will towards her. So they sent her, like a discarded doll, to Okubo-sensei, who perfected her sword skills while also teaching her of the other interesting and nasty things people did to each other.  
  
Just thinking back on it, she could feel herself grow wet between the legs. It was a shame she couldn't even rub them together.  
  
Whenever she briefly woke up from her vivid dreams of her lascivious teacher, and the glorious day when she'd killed him, she recognized the groggy sensation turning her stomach upside down, and tickling the back of her skull. It wasn't the first time she had been drugged by someone in an attempt to keep her imprisoned safely. After her dear oneesama had defeated her so ignominiously, she guessed she had been picked up, drugged for safe transport, and chained by her legs and wrists, the way she was now eagle-spread and hanging at the middle of a small, dark and very smelly room.  
  
She couldn't think very well, but judging from the sounds coming from the outside, she supposed she was inside a fortress surrounded by constant strong and howling winds, most likely a prison in some mountains. The world still seemed to exist, unless this was a fantasy she was having at the brink of death, so she supposed that Cosmo Entelekheia had been foiled, and that awful but very cute boy Negi, who had become such a desirable and terrifying fighter in such a short time, had saved Mundus Magicus. Tsukuyomi guessed that was okay in the long run, because it gave her a chance for a rematch.  
  
Now she could hear a man right outside her cell, talking to her guards in a low, yet composed and stern tone, telling them something about official clearance and giving them official orders to forget as soon as he left. She had heard things about that stuff. Her guards, those two towering figures clad from head to toe in armor, were animated golems. Golems were impervious to seduction, bribes or mind control, to any of the low passions humans which could sway humans. And yet, they were easily manipulated by their masters.  
  
She forced herself to lift her face as much a she could. (No easy task, since her jawline was painfully restrained as well. But she was well used to pain, and even enjoyed it. It was the restriction of her motions itself that annoyed her.) Her itchy eyes came open as soon as she heard his measured, strong steps into the tight dungeon.  
  
He stood before her with a tight, unreadable expression on his handsome, yet weasely face. His hair was the same color as hers, and he also wore glasses, although his were smaller and more angular than hers. But Tsukuyomi had been deprived of hers, so she couldn't get a good look at him, despite the fact that he was standing a mere two steps away. All she could see beyond that was that he was lean but not scrawny at all, and he wore an expensive dark suit.  
  
"Do I know you?" she managed to ask, and even smile. "Have I ever killed one of your loved ones, or is this a mere casual visit?"  
  
Actually, he half-bowed to her. "My name is Kurt Gödel, Senator for the new Vespertatia Republic. My pleasure."  
  
"Obviously, not mine," she chuckled, as her arms lightly tugged at her chains. "Is this about the date of my execution? I have always loved a good public performance, but if I might be as bold as to suggest a change for the program ... what if I execute someone else instead? I'm very good at it!"  
  
"We don't have the death penalty for minors, Miss."  
  
"Ah. What a shame. It would save you a lot of grief. Never leave for the eighteen what you can do at the thirteen, that's my motto ... Come to rape me, then? I think someone raped me two nights ago, while I slept. It couldn't have been one of your golems, so --"  
  
"The post official who touched you inappropriately has been found and dealt with," he said, and then caressed something at his waist she recognized as a sword, even if she, sadly, couldn't recognize the exact type through her blurry vision. _Ah, so he wasn't just happy to see me, then._  
  
Tsukuyomi giggled girlishly. "What a gentleman! Coming to the aid of a dangerous criminal like me ..."  
  
"Miss, I'll be honest with you," he spoke without humoring her. "The bulk of your supposed crimes were committed in Mundus Vetus, and there is little to no proof of those you performed within our jurisdiction. We could nonetheless have you imprisoned for life, regardless, because the mere incursion into the forbidden ruins of Old Ostia is sufficient legal cause for it. Still, we are willing to grant you a pardon as long as you carry out a special mission for our country's sake."  
  
Her eyes shone. "Oh my! Such joyful news. And to think I didn't even hire a lawyer. Had I bothered to, I'd surely be gladly running free now, after killing you and all your loved ones ... sorry, that's not exactly the kind of thing one should say during an offer of amnesty, is it? I blame the drugs ... and all that time spent with Joker-sama."  
  
"It's appropriate you would mention that," he said. "Your mission would be tracking that former associate of yours to Mundus Vetus and delivering him to us for ... questioning. We would like to know exactly how much he learned about our state secrets during his stay, and with whom he has shared that information."  
  
Tsukuyomi licked her lips wickedly. "Could I watch during the ... questioning? I love questionings, at least the type you government agencies do. Can't I get one for myself, for that matter?"  
  
He half-sneered. "We already know all you knew."  
  
She made an annoyed groan. "Ah. Of course. It stands to reason you'd take advantage of drugging me and keeping me a prisoner ... are you sure you haven't raped me?"  
  
Fuming, he placed a hand on his chest. "Miss, I do have more class than that. Besides, I don't like them as young as you."  
  
Tsukuyomi smirked. "Cake eater, huh?"  
  
He smirked back. "Some things, like fine wine, get better with age."  
  
"Hnnnn. Debatable! Still, why pick me for this ... assignment? Surely, a bigwig like you knows a lot of more reliable and stable trusty agents you can send there. Oh dear, I'm shooting myself in the foot again, am I not?"  
  
"It would surprise you, to know how few competent, loyal and sane agents are there in this line of work," he told her, and then reached over to lightly play with her long hair. "Besides, this is a favor for your mother."  
  
"You knew my mother?"  
  
"Closely."  
  
"Yes, I don't doubt it. Word is, the crazy little bitch knew a lot of people closely ..."  
  
They stared at each other's eyes.  
  
"Arika," he said.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"Had I ever had a daughter, I'd have called her Arika."  
  
"So what? Are you crazy, too?"  
  
He closed his eyes and softly shook his head. "Nothing. Forget it."  
  
"With pleasure, dear Sir," she said with total honesty. "Then, do we have a deal after all?"  
  
Again, he smiled and lightly patted one of her cheeks. "We do."

* * *

  
 _Kyoto:_  
  
Kagurazaka Asuna sat in the shallow waters of the warm bath, her eyes closed, her long orange hair floating free around her after cascading down her back.   
  
Not to be an emo (she disliked emos almost as much as she disliked brats) but life was simply unfair, she reflected as she soaked in silence. She had just gone to another world to help her dumb kid teacher without expecting anything in return; she had risked her life several times over while there; she had been kidnapped, forced to wear a tight ridiculous dress and exposed as a meat doll; she had saved that stinking world then, despite having every reason to let it rot. And what had she gotten out of it? A little celebration party, a lot of congratulations of several degrees of sincerity, and a few revelations that had rattled her life. She didn't even get a T-shirt out of that, come to think about it.  
  
She almost wished she could stay stay in Kyoto, away from all those people. Maybe even Takahata-sensei, who hadn't shown any signs of truly understanding her, much less returning her affections. She was growing tired of it all. Maybe Iinchou was right for once and her pursuits were pointless. He had been very clear during their attempted date in Mahorafest, and against Asuna's expectations it didn't look like she was changing his mind. If even returning from the brink of death didn't pull him any closer, maybe it was a lost cause after all.  
  
It still ached in her heart.  
  
Asuna gathered enough warm water in her hands and washed her face again.  
  
Mostly, she was afraid of returning to face Negi and Arika, of intruding in their strange and gross relationship, something they would want her to partake in. Even if they didn't want her as a ... bedmate, they'd still want to be acknowledged as brother and mother, and she wasn't sure she could do that.  
  
Well, she would think of something before that happened.  
  
Yeah, who was she kidding? She was a Baka Ranger. Thinking of solutions or escapes wasn't her forte. Usually, she went to Konoka for that, but Konoka had her own hands full right now, and Asuna couldn't blame her for not magically fixing her issues for her this time.  
  
She hugged her knees and pulled them tightly against her body.  
  
Maybe she needed to start all over somewhere else. Look for a new love, for starters. But the idea of leaving her stupid friends behind bothered her even more. Mahora and her classmates, the Headmaster and her activities, that was all she knew in life. She couldn't and didn't want to return to a prissy Twilight Princess' life, in a kingdom that wasn't a kingdom and didn't have a place for her anymore. And yet, her graduation approached, and she would have to look for something else either way. Even she was well aware of that, even if the likes of Ku and Makie apparently weren't. But then, they also had other things to fall on. Their own families, their career dreams. Asuna didn't have any of that. She had spent so long dreaming of being Takahata-sensei's wife, she now realized she hadn't ever really thought of a Plan B.  
  
Neither was she really qualified for any other life. She was a princess, maybe, but in the way of real world accomplishments, all she was good for was drawing in a passable way and delivering newspapers. And print press was a dying medium!  
  
"Arrrgh, screw it!" she took both hands to her scalp. "I'm trapped in a dead end! This sucks!"  
  
Then she heard steps down the hall outside, and for a moment she thought Konoka was coming back to see what was taking her so long. But then she realized those steps were too heavy and strong to belong to Konoka's small feet, and her skin crawled.  
  
A man. What if it was one of those Magi aiming to take Konoka down before she could take part in that crazy War? Or what if it was a remnant mole or ally of Chigusa? Or worse, what if it was Eishun-sama? He would see her naked!  
  
Asuna didn't want to be like those shrill annoying tsundere in manga and anime who took baths without telling the much more considerate owners of said bathrooms about their plains first, only to punch them when they innocently wandered into their own premises, so she quickly ducked behind a large rock of the natural indoor baths, waving away a slight hint of deja vu as she did so. She barely had the time to pick a towel up on her way, and she cursed inwardly when she realized she had left her Pactio card in her clothes. IF it was an enemy, she would have to Tsundere-punch them, then run for her Card before they could counterattack.  
  
Well, there were times where Tsundere punching was justified. And despite everything, she was quite good at it.  
  
But no, it was Eishun-sama, walking in with a heavy, troubled expression, wearing only slippers and a white robe he left behind as he marched in with the air of a defeated man. Asuna had to press a hand against her own mouth as she beheld the full nudity of her best friend's father. He was so well muscled, even more than what Takahata-sensei seemed to be under his suits, but without Rakan's gross excesses. His body was covered by deep, long scars, but not enough to make him ugly or disgusting, at least not to her mind. (Most of her classmates would have certainly disagreed.) If anything, they only gave him more of a rough, dangerous manly charm. But mostly ... she stared at her first full display of adult male genitalia. It was so big, even in repose ...  
  
Konoe Eishun had been raised under the 'Leave others endure their own crises, and that will make them stronger' school of thought, not to mention the 'They only will get madder at you if you interrupt them while they're sore' doctrine. His heart yelled at him to go after Setsuna and try making amends, but his rational mind told him to wait until she had calmed down. An upset woman was the scariest thing in the world, anyway. And Setsuna needed her space right now, callous as that might seem. He was well aware of that, but it didn't make him feel any better.  
  
After rinsing up more quickly than was his custom, he descended into the water with a heavy sigh, completely failing to see Asuna's clothes placed near the entrance. He closed his eyes and washed his face. The next few days would be long and difficult, and he needed resting now to face them at full strength. He wasn't the same boy he once had been.  
  
Not like Asuna would complain about it as she spied on him, with bated breathing. She had liked him deeply, since the first time she had seen him, even if Asakura had found her attraction laughable. He was older than Takahata-sensei, and his face was not as appealing, but he still was very attractive. If not for his status as Konoka's father, she would have seriously considered him as an alternative to Takahata-sensei. And now, he was so close, his virile body on full display, and she realized he was almost making her forget all her woes and concerns. She could almost touch him ...  
  
Instead, she began touching herself. With trembling and hesitating fingers at first, but growing in pace and audacity as she went. It was, after all, only a harmless fantasy. No one would ever know, not even Konoka, so why shouldn't she just indulge herself for once, imagining that gorgeous strong body above hers, as he kissed her face, caressed her body, penetrated her most intimate place like ...?  
  
She saw him tensing up as soon as she panted, but her mind didn't really make the connection. She saw him rising from the water as her panting softly grew in tone and pitch, but that only stirred her further. She couldn't stop herself even as he looked her way. The sight of that nude Adam (Was it Adam? That most beautiful of all men the Greeks or Romans or Persians believed in?) standing so near, so bare, so rock hard-bodied, excited her, drove her crazy, knocked her never-too-strong-anyway rational mind aside like a wimpy pushover, and if anything, when he started to move towards her, adopting the stern air of a born warrior striking ahead, the sight only made her orgasm on her fingers, throwing her head back.  
  
"Ah!!" she cried as she shuddered, and then he was grabbing her arms and tackling her down against the floor, realizing her identity only then. The man pulled back just as soon, cheeks reddening as if he was a schoolboy, so adorable, more than any stupid but kinda sexy Negi.  
  
"A-Asuna-kun!" he yelped. "What, what are you?"  
  
Oh Gods. It was so cliche, Asuna thought. Now she was going to have to punch the poor fellow through the ceiling, because no matter how tough they were, they could never dodge or tank the almighty Tsundere Punch. Now he was shaken and motionless, his dick poking against her belly, now she could freely ...  
  
She sprang up, caught his mighty arms in her small hands, and craned her head up to land a savage kiss on his lips.  
  
It seemed a good idea at the time.  
  
And it was not a cliche, at least. Or so she thought, since she really hadn't read that much hentai manga.

* * *

  
Setsuna's clothes now lied discarded at one side of the bed, while Konoka knelt on the mattress between the lean yet muscular legs she was keeping spread with her hands, greedily lapping at licking at the mortified bird girl's core. Setsuna's hands clawed at the covers, and her neck was nearly painfully strained, her eyes firmly closed. Until moments ago, she'd been screaming protests, but now only moaned incoherently, in a shriller and much louder tone than her customary one.  
  
Konoka just hoped she was getting it right, although it sounded like Setchan was liking it so far. To be honest, she was thinking it didn't taste that good, which contradicted the stories she had read and overheard on the subject, but she figured those tales must be embellished. And it was troubling to think of Setsuna's pee coming right from where she was licking, so she tried her best to keep forgetting that. She wished Setchan hadn't been trying to close her legs so stubbornly, since it meant she had to keep holding them open, and thus couldn't finger herself and sate her own need as she did her. But alas, true love meant sacrificing some of your own happiness for your loved ones', and she had her mouth too busy to instruct Setchan to be quiet, so she had to resign herself to just rubbing her legs together. It wasn't really doing it for her, but it would have to suffice for now.  
  
She tried her best to remember what she had read on the subject, which was problematic since she had only read like four yuri doujin or so. Most of Paru's material had been Yaoi, and she had no experienced lesbian friends to ask. From what Sakurako had told her once, she and Satomi still hadn't done it. Maybe she should have asked Madoka's friend Suzumiya-sempai, who apparently did it with anyone at least once, but it was too late to think of that now.  
  
"Kono-chan!" Setsuna cried, arching her back in what Konoka though had to be the reward for her efforts. A moment later, a mild fountain of clear liquid that fortunately was too cold to be urine hit Konoka's mouth, and that was her sign to finally pull back and regain her breath with a long inhalation.  
  
Setsuna rested on her side, hugging herself and shaking uncontrollably. As Konoka lapped the liquid on her lips and struggled not to flinch at the taste, she gently asked, "Did you like that, Setchan?"  
  
"Th-Th-That was wrong!" Setsuna's teeth chattered. "No, not only we are from, from different classes, and, and species, b-b-but we're sisters too ..."  
  
"Silly Setchan. We can't be from different species if we're sisters, and we can't be sisters if we're from different species. Since we're both, we're neither. That's elementary logic." Before Setsuna's brain could even start processing that, Konoka lovingly kissed her forehead. "It's alright. Don't worry about returning the favor yet. Another day, when you're more at ease," she promised.  
  
"D-Doesn't this bother you?" the brave swordsmistress stuttered. "W-We're breaking every, every taboo ever, and a lady like you, Ojou-sa--"  
  
"A-HEM!" Konoka coughed.  
  
"S-So sorry. I mean, a lady like Kono-chan shoulnd't --"  
  
Konoka patted her bodyguard's cute tight butt. "Nonsense! Us aristocrats, well, we're this way, much like Negi-kun and his mom. It's not that bad, really. I think it's more frequent than you think. Even Yuuna loves her dad ..."  
  
"That's, that's different!"  
  
"True," Konoka was licking her fingers now, at least those of the hand that wasn't caressing her own pussy at the moment. "Maybe she should act on her impulses too. It feels so ... liberating."  
  
Setsuna all but wept in her pillow. "This is a terrible sin! Eishun-sama, I mean F-Father, he'll be so disappointed!"  
  
"It's his own fault," Konoka observed with a small frown. "Setchan, really, you have to cut back on the guilt complex. Not even Negi-kun has it that bad. At least you aren't Kaga-sempai, I guess, but ..." A sigh. "Forget it. I love you the way you are, of course."  
  
"This is a love that cannot be!"  
  
Konoka rolled her eyes. "What's your fear, Setchan? Afraid you're going to leave me pregnant and we'll have babies with two heads? Relax. We'll make it work, like in Paru's romance manga."  
  
"That ... that is fiction! This is reality!"  
  
I won't comment on it if you won't.  
  
"Less than a year ago, I'd have thought of fighting along my childhood sweetie (who has wings), my cute boy mage teacher, my best friend who is a magical princess from Mars, and my robot classmate, to be nothing but fiction, Setchan. And look at me now. _Ah_."  
  
It was difficult for Setsuna to NOT look, as her most beloved and favorite person in any world shuddered at the subtle yet powerful climax brought by her own hand. Still, she kept on protesting, with pale cheeks now bathed by red. "That isn't the same thing at all!"  
  
"But it makes me happy. And it makes you happy as well, doesn't it?" Konoka was licking her own, much less abundant juices now, finding out they didn't really taste any better than Setchan's. She wondered if Negi-kun's -- what did they call it? -- his cum would taste any better. By now, she doubted it. "So, since your duty is guaranteeing my happiness, and my obligation is making my dear Setchan happy, we really can't do anything else, can we?"  
  
Setsuna was left speechless by that, until she lowered her head, nodded, and whispered, "Very well. You know I'll follow you anywhere, even in the path of Meifumado."  
  
"Tch. This is supposed to be a happy path, Setchan, because we're happy." And she kissed the tip of Setsuna's nose. "I know we can make it work. I just know it."  
  
"What about Eish -- Father?" she gulped.  
  
Konoka smirked. "What about him? Why, we'll tell him, of course. If we're going to be any better than him, we aren't going to make the same mistakes he made. We'll be honest and open to the world, and if the world doesn't like that, too bad for it," she mused, tying her robe back around her body.  
  
Setsuna gulped. "Ah, O -- oh dear sister, maybe you should put on some underwear first..."  
  
"I won't be needing it," Konoka smiled oh so sweetly. "You called me sister! That's so sweet! I always wanted a sister, and while Asuna-chan came close, well ... it's not the same thing. And as for Yomi-chan ... well. I can call you 'Oneechan' from now on, right?"  
  
"P-People will wonder, but .... ah ... of course you can!"  
  
"Great! Now come with me. We're going to give Daddy the big news, and if he takes it well and doesn't overreact, we'll think about forgiving him."  
  
"R-R-RIGHT NOW?!"  
  
"Sure thing! Never put off until tomorrow what you can do tonight!"  
  
"But ... but where ...?"  
  
"Oh, every time he has to receive or give rattling news, he always goes straight to take a bath to calm himself down. That's where we'll find him."  
  
"Wouldn't we be disturbing him, then?"  
  
"Yes. That's exactly the idea." Her smile was no less placid and beautiful then, but that was what made it so terrifying at the moment.  
  
Setsuna only could nod wordlessly.  
  
The things one did for love! She certainly wouldn't have gone with that only because of duty ...

* * *

  
Eishun tugged himself back from the kiss. "No!" he said. "Asuna-hime, no!"  
  
But she sank her finger nails on the skin of his arms. "Why not? Eishun-sama, I, I hurt so much, I need someone to make me feel better... I... my mother..."  
  
He gasped. "Arika told you."  
  
Her eyebrows quivered up. "You knew?!"  
  
With no small shame, he nodded. "She opened her heart to me once, just as I did the same. I didn't think it was my place to tell you --"  
  
"Just like you didn't think it was your place to tell Konoka of her heritage, or to tell Negi about his mother?"  
  
"Asuna," he said, trying to sit back up, and placing his hands on his privates. "Adults often have to do things that don't seem fair or nice at first, but are necessary. And children often have to wait until they reach a certain age to learn some things. It's a natural part of growing up, and --"  
  
"You never planned on telling Konoka at all! You never planned on telling ME either!"  
  
The accusation seemed to lash at the man. "... perhaps. Still, some things are best left buried forever."  
  
"Well, allow me to disagree! And since it is MY life, I think I have the decision edge there!"  
  
He sighed. "This isn't the place or moment to discuss this. We'll continue tomorrow, when you are--"  
  
But she kept a surprisingly firm and strong grip on his arms. She pulled him back down to herself. "Wait. Wait! I'm mad at you, but ... but I still don't hate you! Don't get the wrong idea, I'm not dumb, but I'm not a child anymore, I get why you'd do that, but ... I can't go along with it. But that doesn't mean I don't --"  
  
And on a whim, she kissed him again, feeling him hardening against her. Her nipples had grown painfully tight and erect, poking against his rock hard pectorals. She desired him, and she could tell his desire for her was waking up as well. Even so, he muttered, "Your mother ... she will --"  
  
"She has no rights or claims on my life," Asuna said, lowering her hands to take a grip on his hard thing. It felt pretty much the same way she had expected it to feel, as she guided it clumsily to her opening.  
  
"Takahata --"  
  
"He isn't my father. And he doesn't love me," she clenched her teeth. "I, I don't care anymore, I really don't ..."  
  
He caressed her face lightly. "We all love you, Asuna-chan."  
  
She smiled at the new honoriffic he had just used on her. "You know, Eishun-san," she paid in the same coin, "It occurs to me that you should feel very honored, being chosen to be my first man. Would you like to betray the trust I just placed on you?"  
  
He could have told her that she hadn't actually chosen him, that things had just happened, apparently at random, but he really didn't want to hurt her anymore. He stared in silence for a short while, then said, "You are so much like your mother."  
  
"I should be, shouldn't I?"  
  
"Yes, I suppose that you should." He sat back up, pulling her with himself, and began kissing her. His cock was already almost as stiff as it could be just from the sight and contact of her. After being tied up by the Count, being caught in several compromising situations with Negi and Kotaro, being playfully flirted at by Rakan, and even catching sight of some of the glances Dynamis occasionally tossed her way during her captivity, not to mention all the attention she received during the victory party, she'd already ceased to be surprised at how easily men's bodies showed their desire for her -- though she hadn't ceased to be flattered by it. She promptly reached out a hand to grasp the member, feeling her touch make it grow harder and lift up higher as she supported it in the palm of her hand, her fingertips rubbing and pinching at the skin around his balls.  
  
"Tell me what you want me to do," she said. "You want me to suck it?" she asked. "You want me to go down on you, here in your bath, where anyone could walk in and see us?"  
  
"Yesss," he groaned as her hand tightened slightly.  
  
"Then say so. Don't mince words."  
  
"Suck my ... cock," he concluded after one last hesitation.  
  
 _Good boy_ , she thought, and promptly throated him as they did in Paru's dirty manga. Luckily those censor bars were too thin to actually hide anything. It was easier than she had expected. Tongue pressing up where his shaft hit his balls, she bathed it in her saliva as it fucked into her widest hole. He was held fast, neck bent back, knees almost buckling, mouth moving in patterns she didn't recognize. She doubted that her name was one of them, though.  
  
She reached around to caress his butthole with a poking finger. She had a fairly solid idea by now of where his real inclinations lied, judging from the stories Rakan had shared with her, and even from slight hints thrown by Eva and Albireo here and there, and played them accordingly, to get the fullest out of the experience. She flashed him a smile as she let him slide out again, coughed once, then said, "I think this is about ready to go up my cunt. Ready to be the seme, Eishun-sama?"  
  
"Not your--" he said as he began to crouch, reaching down to set a hand on her hip, to turn her over.  
  
She pushed down on his hand, not painfully, but enough to tell him to stop. "Oh, it's a safe day today, so don't worry," she matter of factly said, making Eishun wince at the tone. "And I want to do it face to face, alright?"  
  
"Right," he said, putting a hand on her other hip as he slid between her spread legs, lifting them slightly so that he was able to push the head of his unit into her front hole. It went in more easily than she had anticipated, but then, she was a long time athlete, and odds were she had broken her hymen far too long ago to actually remember it. And then began the motion.  
  
"Harder," she said. "Do it harder. I'm not gonna break. Pound my sweet little cunt." Topping from the bottom, she supposed, but so it went. His jaw was clenched, but the first sound from it came when her fingers, till now clenching at his buttocks, went further to what was between them. Now there was more than one, it really looked like it had made a difference.  
  
"Ah, you really like that, don't you," she said. "You'd like it if someone was back there. So Rakan was right, and you really had a thing going with the Colonel, and, and oh God. So sorry it's just me. Sorry that you have to focus on making me feel so fucking good, ah!" she gasped as she did so. "Mmm, yes, that's it. But make it harder," she said, closing her eyes, enjoying the sounds of the man's flesh slapping against hers. "Come on, did you do this to Konoka's mom so lightly? To the Colonel?"  
  
"No," he said. "Not with him ..."  
  
"How about the others? Because you had others, didn't you? You had to, being so rich and hot and powerful, and since everyone in Ala Rubra always did whatever you pleased, and you all were perverts, and --!"  
  
"Nnn, nyagh!" he gasped, not answering her question, as he spent into her.  
  
Then he lay on top of her, breathing a bit heavily, for a few moments, and Asuna waited for his seed to stop spillng into her, before she slapped Eishun's cheek - the one on his face - lightly. "But we'll think about it later. Or maybe not. Geez, I guess I say a lot of stupid things in the heat of the moment. I mean, it's not like I want ... someone who really doesn't want to ... you understand me, right?"  
  
"Yes, mistress," Eishun said, smiling faintly. She was a natural. Just like her mother. His encounters with women rarely had been any good, but she, in her first time, had revived a fire on him all mature women he had tried after Konoeko's death had failed to reignite. Asuna rolled her eyes at him.  
  
"Oh, mocking me now? Out of all the moments to develop a sense of humor, you had to pick this one?"  
  
"He always has had one, he just refuses to show it often," a familiar voice calmly said from the doorstep, and the skins of Asuna and Eishun crawled up, going white as sheets of paper. They looked over immediately, to see Konoka and Setsuna standing there, clad in bed robes, next to each other. Setsuna was as horribly shocked as the two mismatched lovers were. But Konoka only smiled in a way that was so beautifully serene and pleasing.  
  
And then she added, "Bad Daddy. Bad, bad Daddy!" Aiming a finger of doom at said malign parent, she proclaimed, "I know about Setchan now! She just told me everything! And now, I come here looking to forgive you, and I find you taking advantage of my best friend! How disappointing, Daddy!"  
  
"Konoka-chan!" Asuna gasped, rushing for her towel. "I, I can explain! ... I think."  
  
"So, you know," Eishun said ruefully, sitting up and placing his hands and legs in a way that covered his dripping shame. "I'm so sorry, Konoka, my dear. Please forgive your foolish father ..."  
  
"Uh-uh, nuh-nuh!" Konoka pouted, folding her arms. "I absolutely can't forgive you after this! You've gone way too far!"  
  
He postrated himself on his knees before her, nice hard butt sticking up. "I beg you! There must be something I can do to redeem myself!"  
  
"It was all my fault!" Asuna cried. "I, I tempted him, because I'm as much of a slut as my Mom, see?"  
  
"That's very noble of you, Asuna-chan," Konoka hummed, a finger on her own chin, "But I know that's impossible. No doubt this pervy old man used you, when you were vulnerable and hurt and upset, to please himself after having a hard time with Setchan. He's Setchan's dad too, did you know that, Asuna?"  
  
"He is?!" Asuna blinked, dropping her towel.  
  
Konoka nodded. "Mmm-hmmmm. He really will put that big fat thing anywhere where it'll fit, won't he? And here I thought those stories I overheard Rakan-san telling you were only weird fantasies of his ..."  
  
"How can I ever earn your forgiveness?" Eishun pleaded, looking on the verge of tears, although inwardly swearing to kill Rakan next time he saw him.  
  
Konoka smiled in a way that was as hideous as you can manage while also being sweet and naughty. "How, indeed? It's a very tall order ... but maybe you can start by telling us about Setchan's mom. What was she like? You don't remember her at all, do you, Setchan?"  
  
Setsuna finally snapped from her stunned silence to look as low as she could and stutter, "N-No, I don't remember her. She ... she died during childbirth, so ..."  
  
And Konoka lightly caressed her cheek. "She died. There's no greater pain than losing your mother, except never having her at all. That's why, Asuna-chan, despite all her flaws, you should love yours. I'm sure she loves you very much."  
  
"Y-Yeah, that's actually kind of what worries me," Asuna confessed.  
  
"Nonsense. Setchan and me are sisters, and even if we aren't, we might as well be, and that still hasn't prevented us from becoming soulmates and lovers, has it, Setchan?"  
  
"N-No, O-- oh dear sister!" the swordsgirl answered as quick as she could.  
  
Eishun's jaw loosened, as Asuna gasped. "You mean you two, after all --!"  
  
"Oh, we have just consummated our love!" Konoka hugged Setsuna as the latter descended into a nerve wrecked mess of emotional gibbering. "I'd have told you before if we had done it at any other point, Asuna!" And she added with a look at Eishun, "Because I intend to be fully honest with my friends and family."  
  
Eishun sighed. "I'm never living that down, am I?"  
  
"Nope," Konoka easily said. "However, Asuna, since I don't want to be a hypocrite, I need to tell you something now. It's something very big, ugly and nasty, but I hope you'll be able to forgive me --"  
  
"I've just lost my virginity to a man who could be my father, my mother sleeps with my little brother, and, well, you're being very forgiving of me during this," Asuna said. "I doubt anything you tell me is going to make me shocked or angry at you."  
  
"That's good to know," Konoka nodded. "I almost fucked Takahata-sensei."  
  
"... what?" Asuna asked after a moment, eyes wide as saucers, and turning slightly red.  
  
"During your last birthday, when you were at Iinchou's house, Takahata-sensei showed up at our room. He was a bit drunk, and I was a bit upset at you, so..." By this point, Asuna AND Eishun AND Setsuna had tensed up with deadly red evil eyes, before Konoka smoothly finished, "I kissed him, but even tipsy as he was, he was a gentleman, pushed me away, and ran off before we could do anything we'd regret. Or not, because, you know, I don't do the regret thing anymore."  
  
"He, he PUSHED you!!" Eishun screamed.  
  
Konoka gave him a look. "Would you have preferred him to make sweet love to me?"  
  
 **"NO!"** Setsuna yelled.  
  
"But he didn't have to PUSH you for that!" Eishun all but foamed off the mouth.  
  
"Ko-no-kaaaaaaa..." Asuna's voice sizzled furiously. "Why, you little --!"  
  
Konoka's stern look shifted to Asuna. "You just successfully made love to my Daddy, so at worst, we're even now, and at best--"  
  
"Okay, okay, sheesh," Asuna muttered, since she didn't want the conversation heading that way. "You win, as always."  
  
"Thank you," her longtime friend nodded. "Now, Daddy, to start making up to Setchan, you'll tell her everything about her Mom, and the kind of person she was, so she has an actual accurate of her, not any vile propaganda those Bird Tribe meanies might have told her. She was just like Setchan, wasn't she, Daddy?"  
  
He had to nod. "Indeed. Strong and brave, just like her. Sometimes, it hurt me looking at you, Setsuna, and remembering her so much, and knowing I never could tell you. The form of your face. The slight way you smile. The grace of your motions ... the way you are blushing even now is reminiscent --"  
  
"How about her wings?" Konoka asked. "Oh, that's right, you haven't ever seen her wings, have you, Daddy? She was raised to keep them hidden, and you were frozen during the assault, and you weren't around for us at Ostia ... So show him, Setchan. Show him your beautiful wings."  
  
"But ..." the other black haired girl said hesitantly. "Ojo-Kono-chan, there's not enough room, and this robe--"  
  
"There's plenty of room here, your wings aren't that wide, and the robe is gone like this," Konoka firmly tugged on Setsuna's sole cloth down, yanking it down and making it plummet around her feet. Setsuna, Asuna and Eishun all gasped, but after a single moment of freezing under their eyes, Sakurazaki sighed softly and her wings erupted from her bare back, unfolding all around herself.  
  
Despite the actual large size of the baths, they actually looked rather smaller now those wide feathered appendages had deployed themselves, blanketing most of the area.  
  
Konoka tenderly caressed one of the wings, making Setsuna shudder almost orgasmically. "You like them, don't you, Daddy?"  
  
"Y-Yes, I do," Eishun gulped, as Asuna found herself nodding absently. Those beautiful wings had always captivated her. "They're gorgeous, but Konoka, we should get dressed and leave ..."  
  
"Are they like her mother's?" Konoka interrupted.  
  
"Well, no. Hers were black, but just as beautiful, and please, Konoka, this is--"  
  
As Setsuna blushed even more, Konoka moved away from her and stepped towards her father, who stood up gulping and blocking his crotch with his hands. "Yes, every single part of Setchan is beautiful, Daddy. Just like you are beautiful as well, so I guess you indeed have to be her father. Isn't he beautiful, Asuna-chan? Because you have good taste."  
  
The redhead nodded quickly. "Yeah, he is, I mean, not like I'd have my first time with an ugly or rude guy, but --"  
  
"Take a good look at her," Konoka pushed her father so he had no choice but to stare directly at Setsuna, who covered herself as best as she could, as well. "And take those hands away, Setchan, you have no ugliness to be ashamed of, in body or soul. Look at her, Daddy. Isn't she just lovely?"  
  
"Y-Yes, she is, but --!" And here he gasped, and the eyes of Asuna and Setsuna drifted down to where Konoka's right hand had just descended to grip at Eishun's manhood, starting to massage it between her fingers. "Konoka!"  
  
"Look at all of her, Daddy," Konoka panted, losing herself in the thrill, her hand moving back and forth. "Her breasts, petite but so cute, her cunny, so bare but so sexy, hmmmm. Why are you so shocked? You didn't warn Negi-kun, despite knowing the kind of woman his mom is. You didn't stop Setchan from coming to me, despite knowing what I felt, so you must be okay with this, with all of this. That's just simple logic, and you don't want to violate simple logic, do you, Daddy?"  
  
"Actually, he didn't even suspect me, I mean you, I mean us!" Setsuna said with a strangled voice.  
  
Konoka nibbled on the back of her father's neck, while her other hand undid her own robe and let it drop, leaving her as naked as the others. Then that hand caressed Eishun's hard buttocks, as her small breasts rubbed up and down his back and its scars. "Hmm-hmmmm," she replied absently. "Yes, Daddy, I want this. You already had my best friend, your friend's daughter, a minor. And I already had my own dear sister, so we're already there anyway. I want all of those who love me, all those I love, to love each other too, so do this. Now. Or I won't ever forgive you," she finished, with a voice that was as silky and smooth as hard and harsh, as she let go of his penis and pushed him ahead, towards Setsuna.  
  
The girl warrior actually had to catch him in her arms as he stumbled on her. "Um. Are you okay, Eish -- Honorable Father?" she quite lamely asked.  
  
He nodded as best as he could. "Y-Yes, I am, it's just--"  
  
Then he wept, seeing her so close, so flushed, so vulnerable and yet so strong.  
  
"You're so beautiful," he wept. "May the gods forgive me."  
  
And he pulled her face towards his, and began kissing her. Setsuna closed her eyes and shivered, but made no attempt to resist.  
  
Asuna blinked. "Um, Konoka, don't you think maybe this is unfair for her, I don't think she's --"  
  
"She loves him, can't you tell, Asuna?" Konoka pulled her aside, then landed a quick peck on her lips that made Asuna shiver as well. "Just like she loves me, and she loves you and Negi-kun, and I love all of you as well. Isn't it wonderful, this celebration of love? Here," she cooed as she forced Asuna to sit on the floor, then spread her legs. "Let me make it up to you for that Takahata thing."  
  
"Umm, I thought you had said we were even, so I don't see why you-- Yi yi yi yiiiiiii!" Her head snapped back when Konoka placed herself on all fours between her legs and began giving her a clue of what a girl's mouth could do for another girl's vulva.  
  
Setsuna was mortified by this, as she first hear Asuna-san's strange gasps, then opened her eyes to see Konoka's head had all but vanished between Asuna-san's shapely legs. Did that count as cheating? On the other hand, wasn't she cheating on her as well, with a man who was their father to boot? Those thoughts hammered into her skull as he penetrated her, carefully pushing her against a wall as he began thrusting in and out of her, and much to her chagrin, it actually felt good, in a way, even if it lacked the extra thing she had felt with Konoka. But it stod to reason Eishun-sama would be as great at that as with everything else he did. And despite her love for Konoka, and those occasional thoughts she had on Asuna-san, and even Kaede and Mana, it wasn't like she hated men, and Negi-kun and Tsuruko's husband had tickled her fancy occasionally, but ...  
  
... but this was so sick and wrong, and it was only made worse by how good it felt.  
  
She felt her second orgasm of the night approaching, and she surrendered to it without attempting resistance, as she kept looking at Asuna receiving cunnilingus from her beloved. It was the first fight she threw in her life. And so completely worth it.  
  
Eishun cringed as his grip on her hips intensified. "Setsuna, I'm going to ... I'm going to --!"  
  
Konoka tensed up and her head sprang from Asuna's wet core. "NO! Don't do that, you haven't earned --!"  
  
But Asuna, with a long drawn moan, pushed her head back down, and Eishun tried to pull back, but a moment too late, as his hips twitched and he finished within the hybrid, with a loud moan.  
  
He fell on his back on the floor, hacking and coughing and hoping to wake up at any moment so he could quit his position of responsibility and morality, then turn himself at a mental institution. He'd need to go overseas to find one, but it'd be worth it.  
  
When he opened his eyes, he only saw a naked Konoka standing over him, a bare foot on either side of his head. Setsuna and Asuna stood further back, supporting each other wordlessly.  
  
Konoka pouted cutely. "Daddy, you aren't improving at all! Playing favorites is just as bad as anything else you did! So, to start making up at last ... you'll give me the exact same treatment you gave Setchan!"  
  
He gave up, rose to his feet, caught Konoka in a strong embrace, and began devouring her lips. Or she started devouring his. It was so difficult, to realize where things started and ended anymore.  
  
Later, he could just barely remember setting her on the floor, entering her, savagely fucking her just short of hurting her. He distantly recalled her cries for him to not hold back, that she was able to heal herself. He had a vague memory of spilling seed into her, once again breaking a taboo that had always horrified him, a family curse he'd hoped and expected to escape.  
  
And then, more clearly, he remembered her hugging him sweetly and whispering of forgiveness.  
  
As long as he kept doing this sort of thing.  
  
He started considering seriously the notion of breaking Amagasaki free and turning the Association over to her. Surely, she would have the moral high ground over them ...

* * *

  
With a new pair of swords at her sides -- it was a crying shame how the Aoyamas had taken Hina away after they hadn't been able to keep it for themselves in the first place -- Tsukuyomi walked primly and elegantly down the corridor following Godel-sama. Her legs and the rest of her body didn't feel stiff anymore after that quick session with the Senator's own private healer, and Godel-sama had even been kind enough to supply her with her favorite choice of clothes. Life smiled at her again. So she wasn't going to question why Godel-sama didn't take care of this job personally, despite having, at every moment, the posture and walk of a Shinmeiryuu disciple himself. Odds were the politician's life had just taken his eyes away from what was truly important. It was always really tragic, whenever that happened.  
  
The well dressed man kept on briefing her. "Your partner in this enterprise, the brain to your muscle, if you will, is someone with whom you have worked in the past, with no real difficulties, so I trust there will be no friction. He, too, must be returned alive or your mission won't be acknowledged as a success and rewarded."  
  
Tsukuyomi pouted in a way she had copied from Konoka-hime-sama long ago. "I don't like being a babysitter."  
  
"My sympathies," Godel-sama flatly said. "He'll be carrying a couple of additional missions on his side, and you should be prepared to bail him out if he fails in them. And also kill him before he falls into enemy hands."  
  
Tsukuyomi smiled. "Now you're talking my language!"  
  
"I figured as much. Regardless, he also knows your target closely, and most importantly, he has a deep knowledge of the facilities you'll be infiltrating. His brand of technology will be useful, no, necessary for your success."  
  
"I don't like using gadgets."  
  
"We know. He'll be the only one handling the required devices. You are just to act as his defender and the strong arm to retrieve the main target." And they stopped before a wide thick door with the official seals of the Republic on it. "Remember, we are aiming for a modicum of profesionalism and efficiency here. Should his ... sudden lack of stability threaten the outcome, dispose of him immediately."  
  
"Ah, but then you won't pay me anymore!"  
  
"Trust me, we'll know the difference," he said, before planting a hand on the seal, which made the door slid open. Tsukuyomi hummed in recognition at the figure at the other end of the room she was being led into -- a small man who grinned showing his comical buck teeth, wild strands of blond hair peeking out from under the gigantic top hat that obscured most of his face. He bowed for them, standing up very politely, while pouring tea into the last of the cups arranged on a table between them.  
  
"Ah, it's you. It's been a very long while," Tsukuyomi said matter-of-factly. "You're aware where we are going this time, aren't you?"  
  
He chuckled softly, not without whimsical yet dark mirth. _"There is a place. Like no place on Earth. A land full of wonder, mystery, and danger! Some say to survive it, you need to be as mad as a hatter."_  
  
And he took his hat off and solemnly placed it against his chest.  
  
 _"Which luckily I am!"_

* * *

  
 _The next evening:_  
  
Honami Takase Ambler sat in a corner of the vast gathering chamber with the rest of the directing council for the Kansai Magic Association. Konoka-Ojou-sama stood in the middle of the room, clad in the classic ceremonial robes, on top of a runic circle drawn on the floor. It bothered Honami, more than anything else, to know that she had drawn that circle herself. As the most knowledgeable about Western occultism in the Association, it had fallen on her to supply what she had gathered was a Servant invocation circle from her research. And now Ojou-sama's life would probably be ruined because of that.  
  
Even though she had tried her best, because it had been her duty, Honami mostly hoped for a failure. She could live with the stigma of failing the Association, or even a demotion. What she couldn't stomach was having Ojou-sama hurt or ... worse ... because of what she had done. She was no Setsuna (Who could be? Besides, that just wasn't healthy at all!) but she still held a lot of devotion and respect for the brave Elder's daughter.  
  
The vice-president of the Association, an old woman sitting at Eishun's right, spoke with a gravely, throaty voice. "Konoe Ojou-sama. For the last time, I ask the required questions for your approval as representative of our Association in this affair. Do you feel completely sure you can carry out this mission? Is your heart prepared? Is your soul pure enough? Will your resolve remain steady through the dark hours of war to follow?"  
  
Konoka nodded, while Eishun paled even more, and near Honami, Setsuna-sama and Kagurazaka-san held hands tightly. "Yes," the Elder's daughter said. "Things have happened, that have shown me I am no child anymore, and Negi-sensei's example has taught me that age is no excuse to escape the responsibilities fate places upon us. I won't endanger others by letting them take the burden I was chosen to carry. Even Father has been ... convinced on the subject."  
  
The old woman hummed to herself, hands folded under her wrinkled chin. She wondered what might have changed their minds so quickly, since their intentions upon Ojou-sama's return had been to look for an alternative.  
  
"But I swear I won't stain the Association's honor," Konoka promised. "I'll look for the safest, most peaceful possible alternative, so our group is not charged with the blood of innocents, or even rivals. But, in any case, I can't continue to escape this. Just like I couldn't escape my destiny as the heiress to the Association. I'll honor my heritage, and do it without hesitating anymore."  
  
The old woman nodded with an approving smile. "Very well spoken," she said, although Eishun's tense expression said otherwise. "Is the rest of the Council in agreement?"  
  
Low and respectful tones of approval sounded through the room, with only Setsuna, Konoka and Asuna remaining silent. Even Honami and Eishun joined their voices to them, although reluctantly.  
  
"Go on, there, dear child," the vice-president spoke, while Eishun lowered his gaze, unwilling to voice the authorization himself. Subtle glances abounded in his general direction. "Summon the Servant for Kansai. And make us proud."  
  
"I will, Grandmother," she bowed, calling the old family friend by that nickname even now, even though they had no ties of blood. Probably. Konoka turned around, closed her eyes, and pulled a ceremonial dagger out of her wide left sleeve. Making a small cut on her arm, she whispered as her blood dripped down, _"Let thy body rest under my dominion, let my Fate rest in thy blade. If thou submittest to the call of the Holy Grail and if thou wilt obey this mind, this reason, then thou shalt respond."_  
  
Honami's skin tingled with dread and another, more primitive emotion, as she saw the circle was starting to glow in faint red. Oh, no. Oh, no no no, she had done it after all. Damn her studious, expert and skilled ways!  
  
The directors of the Association watched on expectantly, glints of barely contained glee in the eyes of some, looks of fear and despair in the eyes of others. Eishun-sama stood up, and it took the vice-president placing a firm hand on his arms to stop him from leaping down to interrupt the ceremony.  
  
 _"I make my oath here. I am that person who is to become the virtue of all Heavens. I am that person who is covered with the evil of all Hades. Thou seven heavens, clad in a trinity of words, come past thy restraining rings, and be thou the hands that protect the balance!"_  
  
 **"Konoka!"** Eishun cried.  
  
 _"Ojou-sama!!_ " Setsuna added, gripped by angst.  
  
Then the red glow grew until it engulfed the whole chamber, pushing everyone back, Konoka included. Honami's back was slammed against the wall, while Konoka plopped on her butt near her father's seat. For the next several moments, everyone was blinded, although that didn't stop Setsuna from being able to run to her mistress' side regardless. While Konoka was helped back on her feet, her eyesight returned enough to allow her to see a new presence at the middle of them all.  
  
The ground _shook_ as the red darkness seemed to subside, but not completely, leaving an eerie amount of confusing haze, and two blazing white eyes appeared in the center, all the brighter for the contrast. A hulking figure was stepping towards Konoka, and its every step felt as through feet and bones and the little hind part of the brain humans inherited from their distant not-quite-mammal ancestors that warned them a Tyrannosaurus Rex was about to eat them. It straightened as it stopped before her, revealing a gigantic being easily ten feet tall, and then some. It was armored from head to toe, a dark, twisted armor that made the eyes hurt to look directly at it, smooth curves jarringly contrasting with sharp angles and spikes, seemingly all of one piece.  
  
It wore a helm just as black, the front a smooth plate, unadorned except for a pair of glowing white eyeholes. The sides, however, were as eye-searingly twisted as the rest of the armor. Two long, straight horns rose straight up from the side of the helms, smooth as ivory. A black aura seemed to cover him, causing his very outline to shift widely even as they watched. His other hand lay still, a length of chain wrapped around his forearm, the end trailing almost to the ground. The tip, a strangely squarish pronged thing, had struck the ground at his every step.  
  
A black cape hung from its shoulders. Well, hung perhaps was not the right word. It rested there like a dragon or a bomb 'hung' in the sky, at any moment ready cause violence. It was as if someone had cut a piece of the night, burned out the stars and given it life, its substance so dark it outlined the figure as clear as day. Weapons hung at its belt, chains and blades and other things of clearly a dangerous property.  
  
Then the figure spoke. It was the voice children first hear in their mind when they imagined death. It wasn't like the true voice of Death, which was nice and actually a good singing voice, and that made it much worse.  
  
 _ **"I am Servant Avenger. I ask of you: Are you my Master?"**_  
  
Asuna blinked. "Sayyy, isn't that Ba-- Nah, how could he be, he's still alive after all."  
  
Elsewhere, across the oceans, at the other side of the world, in a city that felt depressingly dark even during day, a shirtless plaboy billionaire woke up, springing from his bed and taking a hand to his forehead. That nightmare was a new one. It certainly was not the one he always had, about the man with the gun and the dead eyes at the end of the alley.  
  
He looked up through the window. It was still sunny outside.  
  
With a deep exhausted sigh, just for once, he decided to just turn back around and going back to sleep.

* * *

  
 **Next:** Batman.


	10. Period Nine: Batman

### The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery.

_Mahou Sensei Negima_  and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

  _Mai Hime_  and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

  _Fate Stay Night_  and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

  _The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi_  and all related elements and characters belong to Tanigawa Nagaru and Kadokawa Shoten.

_Batman_ and all related elements and characters belong to DC Comics and Time Warner Entertainment.

 All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for graciously lending the bulk of the Mahora orgy scene when I hit a writing bump. I'm not fully satisfied with my work in this chapter, but he did his best to make it more readable.

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**

* * *

  

**Period Nine: Batman.**

* * *

###  _**Back in late April of that very same year, in Kyoto, this had happened:** _

_The big man with the square chin and the black hair finished filling out his registration papers._   
  
_"Well, have a nice stay here, Mister Malone," the attendant told him, with a very brief and Japanese polite nod._   
  
_"Thank you very much," he replied in a flawless Japanese with only the slightest American accent. "You have a very nice inn. I'm sure I'll love being here."_   
  
_Not that he would be there for long. He would find the Joker as fast as he could, and that would require him to spend as much time out as possible. Terrorizing the local members of the Washimine family had pointed him in the direction of that general area, but he knew Joker never stayed quiet in the same place for long._   
  
_As Bruce Wayne followed the young assistant to the stairs, he passed by next to a bunch of schoolgirls headed by a young boy with dark red hair, carrying a wooden staff. There was an obviously drunk girl with long blond hair clinging to the back of that boy, almost making him look like a dwarf in comparison, slurring, "Nwegi-tswama ... You're goinw ta take me ta my woom an' put me undah dah cowers and kissh me goodnight, ain't we?"_   
  
_Wayne nearly shook his head to himself. Children nowadays._   
  
_And that boy was obviously very strong for his age. Curiouser and curiouser ..._   


* * *

  
_Several hours after, the current inhabitant of Room 52 in the Inn was getting prepared for a night out in town._   
  
_He adjusted his belt, which made a loud metallic clicking sound while being secured in place._   
  
_He pulled a black cowl over his head._   
  
_He stood on his window's edge, pulling out his grappling gun and aiming it at a building at the other side of the street – forget that fact he was only on the second floor. This was how he did things, damn it! Tonight, he would find Joker for sure and drag his demented, sick, vile and sorely beaten near-carcass back to Gotham, to rot in Arkham forever, for good this time, never to escape ever again to hurt the innocent._   
  
_Yes. Despite everything, Bruce Wayne WAS a hopeless optimist deep down._   
  
_Right when he was about to shoot, he heard a female shriek coming from a lower story. A local, judging from her intonation. Most likely around fourteen. Truly panicked. He seemed to recognize her voice from the group carrying the drunk girls earlier that day. The chatty one with black hair, most likely._   
  
_He let out a brief frustrated sigh. Joker would have to wait._   
  
_The dark caped figure swung down from the window, and tossed himself through a lower window of the Inn, feet first._   


* * *

  
_Moments later, what was left of a sliding paper door fell off its track, tiny monkeys sent flying back in all directions squealing and waving their limbs. The Batman stormed into the room the scream seemed to have come from, stopping with his fists ready before the tall figure standing next to the large window._   
  
_Small pieces of a kimono and female underwear ripped to rags as well as a few random knick-knacks littered the floor, a few monkeys chewing on them. On top of the mess, an imposing, even if horribly goofy looking, tall form in a giant brown monkey costume stood, a naked and unconscious young woman with long black hair in its arms._   
  
_"Ah. The Batman from Gotham City," the person in the costume spoke, with a refined, cultured, sensual voice and a thick Kyoto accent. "A bit far from your usual stomping grounds, I'd have believed. Have you come here only for us? I must admit I feel mildly flattered. People do talk highly about you."_   
  
_"Put the girl down," he ordered._   
  
_The kidnapper's laugh was slow and measured, as she lifted her head, allowing him a glimpse of the face peeking out of the giant monkey mouth. It was a beautiful, pale face with big round glasses._   
  
_"You are out of your element here, little man," she said. "Go back immediately and we'll forget this unfortunate encounter ever took place."_   
  
_"Last warning," the Dark Knight said. "Let her go. No tricks."_   
  
_"No tricks? I'm sorry, but that's what my whole life is about. Here, let me show you." She extended an arm forward, keeping the naked girl firmly embraced against herself with the other._   
  
_An actual fight ensued._   


* * *

  
_While running after the pursuing Batman, actually holding herself back so no one would suspect her too much on top of all the too much they already suspected, Chao chirped, "Ne, ne, ne! Aren't you going to growl at us to get back home where we can't get hurt? No 'I'll fix this myself' tough guy speech? Are you really Batman?"_   
  
_"No, I'm Goldfishman. Isn't it obvious?" he grumbled, eyes narrowing while he hurried up. "And I've seen you pulling out enough firepower in a few minutes to make the Teen Titans take notes. I want to see what else you're capable of."_   
  
_"Well, I can cook, create artificial mechanical life, sew, speak forty-six languages fluently, make pocket time machines, engage in hydroponic farming, practice Chinese martial arts, drive flying cars, and I'm working on walking on water!" Chao joked. About the walking on water part. And the sewing._   
  
_"I believe you," Batman deadpanned, ignoring the tiny Alfred voice in his head delivering a "Marry her, Master Bruce," with all the dryness and willingness the real Alfred had when it came to such traps no doubt meant to get him apart from the cape and cowl. Alfred had never suggested that when it came to anyone underage, though. Yet._   
  
_It was a completely stupid thing to think during a chase, so he quickly filed it away, hopefully forever._   


* * *

  
_The mere act of running on that... thing, that god-demon, hurt. It was so overloaded with power, each step felt like Misora was running on hot coals. She was sure her soles would melt before long, and that only added to her desperate panic, but she was even more afraid of turning back. She zoomed up and up, straining herself so much she though her heart would stop, and then, after what seemed like an eternity to her but was a moment to everyone else, she reached the monstrosity's front and jumped from its head towards the hovering Amagasaki and her prisoner._   
  
_She tried to make an even longer leap this time, to reach Konoka, who still wasn't even aware she was there. No one was, apparently, not even those who were in on the plan. She was going too fast, a black and white blur cutting through the air. She wasn't going to make it, she was sure, and then she would plummet down to a sure death, and Oh God, sorry, Cocone-chan ..._   
  
_Then she had Konoka's bare left foot in her hand, and grabbed it, yanking her classmate down with her as gravity took over. Konoka let out a yelp as she felt herself being pulled down, out of the influence distracted and faltering Chigusa. Then she was being hugged, and she gasped as she saw the face that was tightening itself against her neck, eyes shut. "Ah! M-Misora-chan!?"_   
  
_"I'M THE MYSTERIOUS SISTER!" she cried, and flailed her legs around madly. "AND I CAN'T FLY! AT ALL! HELP!"_   
  
_Chigusa looked down, her attention distracted so Sukuna missed a fairly good claw swipe at Setsuna. "NOOOOOOOOOO!" she cried, even she saw the winged Shinmeiryuu descending to catch Misora and Konoka in midfall. Then she was silenced for the moment as something dark and huge jumped from an approaching flying carpet with a grinning crazed mangaka at helm; a glider-like cape extended around it, large fists first lashing out and walloping her face. Recoiling, Chigusa pulled her head back before the Batman could yank the Hatter's headband from her, and prepared to kill the American intruder before her connection to the being was lost. But a shot from Yuuna that barely missed forced her hand back, allowing the Bat to glide back down to relative safety as the rebel stared in anger at those gathering before her._   


* * *

  
_"Closer, closer, everyone, or we won't all fit into the photo," Asakura hummed, calibrating the angle and take. Then she looked back at -- "Batman-sama? Aren't you going to be there, too?"_   
  
_"Hnh," the Dark Knight said. "I don't do photos."_   
  
_"Ohhh, pleeeeze!" Makie looked up at him with Bambi eyes._   
  
_"No."_   
  
_"Please please!" Konoka joined Makie._   
  
_"... no," he insisted, although his voice microscopically faltered for the slightest second in the history of mankind._   
  
_"PLEASE!" Makie, Konoka, Sakurako and Chao all cooed at once._   
  
_For a moment, the square jaw under the cowl moved in a strange way, before, wordlessly, the shadowy figure stood behind Skuld, Makie, Yuuna, Sora and Keiichi, although turning away from the camera so only the back of his cape and cowl were seen. "This is as far as I'll go."_   
  
_"Awww!" Haruna giggled, squeezing close to Nodoka, both sitting down on the floor before Negi and Yue, making Misa and Misora curse not having thought of that themselves. "That's so cute of you, Batman-sama! You too, Kero-chan!"_   
  
_"Don't call me Kero-chan!" Kerberos protested, while being dragged by Chamo and forced to sit on Nodoka's head while Chamo himself sat on Haruna's beret. "Ahhh, I was supposed to be a mysterious guardian living in secrecy as fitting my range! If Master Clow could see me now!" he lamented._   
  
_"I think I have it now," Kazumi smirked, finally sliding in quickly, stopping to stand with the Konoes and winking at the camera. "Now, everyone say 'Cheese'!"_   
  
_Asuna took that as the signal to suddenly viciously tickle the Class Rep from her side._   
  
_"Cheese!" was the common word at that moment, said with varying degrees of enthusiasm or lack of it, as the camera shot itself. For all, that is, except Ayaka, whose intended dignified and joyful pose was completely ruined by the sudden cry of shock and laughter she let out._   


* * *

  
_He hadn't got to catch the Joker then, but for some reason, maybe not even directly related to helping to save the world from a madwoman and a demon, he still couldn't think of that trip as a failure._   


* * *

  
_Gotham City, now:_  
  
"LYNNS!" the Batman roared as he jumped down through the skylight into the blazing inferno, startling the armored man with artificial wings below him.  
  
Garfield Lynns. The Firefly. Former movie FX expert turned pyromaniac arsonist by his obsessions. Batman had been, if you'll pardon the expression, hot on his trail for the last three weeks after his escape from Blackgate Penitentiary, until he had managed to locate the crime boss paying Lynns to torch rival businesses all over town. That had led him to Firefly's current target, a bar owned by the currently missing Arnold Wesker.  
  
"Ah! Batman!" Lynns said, his mask lending a loud buzzing tone to his voice. "Bringing protection to a hot date, I see ... but let's see how much heat you can take!" he cackled, aiming his flamethrower at the heavily insulated figure in black and literally opening fire.  
  
Just like in the tests at the Cave, the full body armor endured the abrasive assault without a hitch, the black suit shielding its wearer from the flames that would have roasted any man alive in a matter of moments. Even the cowl was completely secured, down to his usually exposed chin. That included a miniature radio system that buzzed at that moment. With two clicks of his teeth, the Batman cut the cowl's audio outlets, allowing him to ask without being heard by Lynns. "Yes, Alfred?"  
  
 _"I assume you may be too caught in the heat of the moment to deal with such a trivial matter, Master Bruce,"_ his butler's voice said. _"But you have a call from Naba Tetsuo-san, and he is as insistent as ever about talking to you, especially since you have avoided him lately. Should I tell him --"_  
  
"Patch him in," Batman said, jumping over a piece of falling flaming debris, getting closer to Lynns, who ranted and raved madly while firing.  
  
Naba Tetsuo. A man with a past as sketchy as they came when dealing with potentates of high finance. While he had been around for decades in some capacity or another, he only had been a steady presence for the last eighteen years, with nothing but brief appearances to his name before that. What was more, his personal data was all false. Bruce Wayne had done the research. Whoever he was, he was a pretender, and the worst part was even all of Wayne's detective work hadn't been able to reveal the truth about him.  
  
Moreover, Naba Tetsuo had fathered one of the girls who had been present at Kyoto during the whole fiasco with Joker and Amagasaki Chigusa a few months ago. If there was some sort of connection between the Nabas and those supernatural incidents, he would eventually learn about it, but that meant, no matter how much he disliked him, he would have to get close to the man.  
  
But never on Naba's terms.  
  
"Ah, Bruce?" Naba Tetsuo asked while roughly taking one of his young maids from behind, on the other side of the world. His voice was as casual and fresh as if he had just been sipping a daiquiri near his pool. Far more vital than those of most men his alleged age. "Good to hear from you again. How is life treating you?"  
  
"Oh, you know," Wayne said while ramming an armored fist against Firefly's face, shattering the lenses on the villain's mask. "Things have been getting too hot in Gotham lately, so I'm thinking of heading over to Argentina. It's winter for them down there, you know," he laughed dumbly while expertly dodging Lynns' blinded and crazed strike. "I think. Maybe I'm getting it wrong again?"  
  
"Oh, are you?" Naba asked, pulling on the naked girl's long black hair so hard he made her bite her lip to avoid screaming. She knew well what would happen to her if she was heard. "I was hoping you could come over for a party I'll be tossing next week. I'll be out the country for a few months after that, so I wanted to spend some quality time with Chizuru-chan and our friends. We'd love to have you there, too."  
  
"Hey, that sounds good!" The Bat gave Firefly a leg sweep, bringing him down on his back. "But I'm afraid I have my agenda for the whole next week full. I wish you would have contacted me earlier."  
  
"Again?" Naba said while speeding his thrusts up, his balls slapping against the young woman's crotch. "Oh, Bruce, for a millionaire playboy, you sure skip a lot of big time parties. Chizuru-chan was so disappointed when you wouldn't come to her birthday. You're going to break her heart again."  
  
"I hate disappointing a lovely young girl, Tetsuo," Wayne said, tossing a steel cable around Firefly's feet when he tried to fly away blindly. "But trust me, you don't want me spending too long around your daughter. She's growing up too nicely!" He laughed, suffocating the disgust in his stomach. Playing the sleazy shallow playboy aspect was the worst part of being Bruce Wayne.  
  
"Ah, Bruce, always the joker," Naba said, licking all over his maid's earlobe as his free hand massaged her breast. "At least think it over, will you? I'll be available the whole week."  
  
"I'll try sending Chizuru-chan a nice gift, at the very least," he promised, kicking Lynns in the face, then quickly hog tying him, as the building around them crumbled. "Sorry, but I've gotta leave. I think my bath's ready, and I'd hate to make Tina and Lulu wait," he added, jumping through a window with his prey, barely eluding a maelstrom of flames erupting behind him.  
  
"Sayonara, Bruce," Naba grinned, thrusting a last time into the girl and unleashing his seed. "I'll be seeing you soon."  
  
After leaving Lynns hanging down from a lamppost with a note pinned to his chest, gift wrapped for Gordon's incoming patrol cars, the Batman sped away in his sleek black vehicle, leaving the fire trucks behind. "Alfred," he said as he drove. "I'm calling it a night."  
  
 _"Will you be attending your eager fellow playboy in his latest fancy reunion, Master Bruce?"_ the butler asked through the radio. _"You and Lex Luthor are pretty much the only movers and shakers who keep giving him a cold shoulder."_  
  
"That's because we are smart," Batman said. "Bruce Wayne will never set foot in one of those orgies."  
  
The Batman had, though, even if no one had noticed it, or so he hoped. He had planted cameras inside of Naba's Ibiza manor last year. He had been in a good mind to go across the world punching degenerates in the face ever since, but that wouldn't have solved anything. To take such big names down, he'd need more than camera evidence obtained by a vigilante through illegal entering.  
  
 _"And yet --"_  
  
"And yet, I need to know what is he up to before he leaves his country again in two weeks," Batman hummed. "Maybe ..."  
  
 _"Sir?"_  
  
"There is more than one way to have eyes inside of a place, Alfred."  
  
Naba Tetsuo panted as he rested on top of the wheezing naked young woman, running his hand over her cheek over and over. "Soon, Wayne. Soon ... even you will submit to me ..."  


* * *

  
_Around the same time:_  
  
Stealthy and silent as the animal from which she took her battle name, the woman moved from rooftop to rooftop, sticking to the shadows, jumping with the grace of an acrobat, making her quick way through the commercial district around the opulent business center known as the Babylon Towers. She soon made it to the brownstone building next to the river, the place where her informants had told her a socialite heiress from England would be spending an incognito week in Gotham. With the most valuable set of jewelry she never left home without. She had checked on the information, and it looked legit. Early that morning, a private mystery flight had landed in Gotham, and its passengers were quickly shuffled into a limousine and delivered there.   
  
One of the passengers, a girl Selina Kyle glimpsed at the airport, was a very young woman hidden under a thick coat, wide brim hat, glasses and scarf, who moved with a nervous, nearly paranoid energy, and occasionally giggled with the air of a spoiled self-entitled little bitch. That had to be her mark.  
  
The preliminary stalking and preparations were over. It was time to get down to the real work.  
  
She looked down into the empty hall below, through the skylight. Night vision goggles secured to her mask gave her a general overview of the place. Good security measures, but nothing she couldn't crack with relatively little effort. Flexing a hand, razor sharp claws popped out of her glove. The claws bit on the glass, and with extreme precision and care, she moved her hand in a circle, opening a perfect round opening on the skylight. She placed the discarded piece of glass at her side, reached in, felt around with the utmost care, found the safety lock, tinkered with it, and pulled the skylight open. No alarms sounded. The first step was done.  
  
The woman let herself drop, falling on her feet without nothing but the slightest noise. The room was very dark, and she quickly melded into the shadows of a wall, walking very close to it, in the best angle to avoid the scope of the security cameras she could see. She moved as silently as before, if not even more, taking her time. No guards yet. Odds were most of the security staff would be guarding the girl herself.  
  
Selina Kyle couldn't care less about spoiled princesses. She only wanted their prized belongings. Stupid as those socialites were, there was no way they slept with their valuables. She had stolen copies of that building's blueprints three years ago, along with those of most buildings in the area, and she knew the most likely safety deposit for priceless wealth in that place waited at the end of that tight, narrow corridor. The hardest part would be coming back the same way, but only if she lost the element of surprise. Every job, in its own way, was a gamble, but you could fix the game if you knew how to play it.  
  
The door at the end had a security code, but with the miniature scrambler she had stolen from the tech wiz pal of that Punisher creep, she had an easy way around that, and best of it all, they couldn't even report it had been stolen. It was a shame, such an intense and energetic man was so ... unbalanced. Even by Gotham standards. It seemed New York was even worse after all.  
  
The electronic lock lost its lights, and Selina Kyle pushed the thick metal door quietly. A well oiled door. No noise. Good girl.  
  
No guards inside either, so she relaxed her fight-ready stance, but only slightly. It was somewhat strange, but perhaps they were overconfident. Europeans. You had to love their well-behaved naivete. Her prize waited at the end of the room, on display inside of a transparent domed case. A queen's ransom. The old greed licked at the back of Selina's mind like a hungry kitten, and her green eyes lightly gleamed behind the goggles.  
  
All but tip-toeing across the white tiled floor, she didn't stop until reaching the display, at which she smiled.  
  
And then frowned.  
  
There was the expected tight web of lasers all around the case, visible through her expensive lenses, but the jewels themselves were obvious fakes.  
  
A trap.  
  
And then the jewels emitted a brief but fierce glow that blinded her for a moment, even through the protection her goggles provided. She staggered back for a moment, quickly blinking and shaking her head to clear her eyesight, and once that was done, she quickly spun around to escape.  
  
She found a small, lithe girl in a fancy, frilly long dress, hat and glasses blocking her way to the door, a short sword in each hand, a lazy, goofy smile on her cute face. "Curiosity killed the kitty," she said in heavily accented English, before charging ahead.  


* * *

  
She woke up in a completely dark room, with a strange buzzing in her skull, and feeling heavy, strong restraints around her wrists and ankles. They had taken her boots off, and judging from the lack of weight in her outfit, they had taken her equipment away as well. Her mask had been pulled down around her neck, and her short black hair was free, messily falling across and around her head.  
  
The place barely smelled of anything except the warm, soothing fragance of tea.  
  
"Oh!" A smiling cute face hovered over hers, as someone turned on a light switch, providing barely enough light to allow Selina a general view of her surroundings. "Welcome back! So tell me, I'm curious, do All Cats Go to Heaven? Which life was that? Seventh? Fifth? Second?"  
  
Catwoman bit her tongue instead of spitting as was her first impulse. She felt a great pain across her ribs, which also burned. Looking down as best as she could, she saw long red slashes hurriedly patched up on her black costume. She remembered the girl charging towards her before she even could use her whip, cutting her badly like a giggling hurricane, savagely, effortlessly. Then she had kicked her in the head, and everything had fallen into darkness.  
  
"You don't want me dead, or I'd already be," the woman said. "Yet you don't want to hire me, or you'd have contacted me in a ... humane way. So what do you want?"  
  
"Oh, but I would have you dead if it depended on me," the girl hissed, caressing Selina's throat with one of her blades. "Nothing personal. Most people I've ever met would be dead, if I had a say in it. I think people, overall, works better as cut bags of flesh. But Hatter-han here would prefer to have you alive."  
  
"Hatter!" Selina growled as the small man whose face was obscured by his huge hat approached her, stopping at her side, caressing the device attached to Selina's head, with all its cables and buttons and switches and tiny lights that beeped every once in a while. "You spineless --!"  
  
"A Cheshire Cat should smile," the Mad Hatter observed in a detached, slightly troubled tone. "So why don't you smile? Furthermore, why aren't you vanishing until only your smile remains? What is wrong with you? What is wrong with Wonderland, since the Jabberwocky took over? The Cheshire Cat doesn't smile anymore, the Red Queen has fallen, and no one has their heads off now. That's why the Jabberwocky must lose his head, you see. And you'll help us to do it, and in turn, I'll help you, by making you regain your smile." He smiled gently. "Like this. Won't that be nice?"  
  
The cat burglar clenched her mouth. For a moment, because it was getting difficult to think, she had forgotten how delusional, how deranged, Jervis Tetch was. He made the Joker look well connected to reality.  
  
Looking for a way out, she looked around as best as she could. Tetch's usual cohorts, the short and obese Twedledee and Twedledum, sat nearby, with their backs to her, working guard shift with rifles. The clumsy and large Walrus stood nearby, nervously chattering with the colorful woman in white makeup and false rabbit ears. Hatter's pet chimpanzee played near an oblivious Humpty Dumpty who was working at a table, assembling more artifacts like the one on Selina's head. The young woman in the carpenter clothes sat next to the door, trying not to look at her, smoking a cigarette with an air of overwhelming guilt. As she should. She and Selina had worked together several times before.  
  
"Let me guess," Selina snarled. "You will stick one of your mind control chips in my owl, and use me to try and kill Batman. You deserve credit for choosing the best for the job, but --"  
  
"Killing the Jabberwocky?" Hatter blinked. "Without the vorpal blade? I'd call you crazy, but all of us are crazy. You are crazy, I am crazy, she is --"  
  
"Yes, yes, I know!" Selina said. "What's your scheme, then? Isn't telling me in the Arkham rule book?"  
  
"Since the Jabberwocky cannot be killed without the proper weaponry," Hatter lectured very seriously, "the only sane -- or not -- thing left to do is to capture him and deliver him to the Red Queen! Or the White Queen, in her absence," he murmured. "Sadly, the Jabberwocky and his vile allies proved to be too much for the Red Queen, but --"  
  
"To make a long, absurd and boring story short," the little girl snapped, frankly growing annoyed with Hatter's prattle, "you will help us to release Joker-sama AND catch and humiliate that pesky, square-jawed ugly Batman. Then maybe we'll kill him. Or both. We'll see."  
  
"Oh yes, that will work." Catwoman rolled her eyes. "That has worked so well the last few dozens of times it has been tried. What's your use for Joker, anyway?"  
  
"Not OUR use, to be honest, but that doesn't concern you. Oh my, how rude of me! I haven't introduced myself yet. My name is Tsukuyomi!" she giggled girlishly, blushing a bit and placing her hat against her own flat chest.  
  
"I thought it would be Alice," Catwoman snarked.  
  
"Oh, no no no, never an Alice, not her!" Hatter gasped, scandalized. "An Alice must be sweet, tender and innocent, full of wonder and marvel! There are no Alices in this city. Once, I thought I had found mine, but ..." His shoulders dropped dejectedly, and his face strained in pain. Then he readjusted his hat and smiled. "But I'll find her elsewhere, then! If Alice doesn't come to Wonderland, Wonderland will go to Alice!"  
  
"Whatever makes you happy." Selina feigned a yawn. "Tell me, then, how am I going to do that? If you were going to make a slave of me, why not to skip this charming conversation over tea and pastries and simply send me off with the chip in my --"  
  
"There will be no chips on hats anymore," Hatter declared firmly, sipping from his cup of tea. "Those are nothing but temporary measures. The spell of happiness is broken as soon as you take your hat off, and while I don't see why anyone would ever want to take their hat off, it still happens!" He sounded genuinely frustrated and confused. "All the time! So we'll make it permanent now. Your Wonderland will be eternal, and your Cheshire grin will never go away, the way it must be! To that end, the transmission of low frequency waves my helmet is delivering to your brain activity will be reinforced with proper physical conditioning, followed with generous ingestion of mind-opening tea, gifted with the chemicals that will expand your consciousness to a lasting state of bliss and obedience to the Queen's laws." He took another sip and exhaled merrily. "Won't that be simply enchanting?"  
  
"I'll never --!!" Catwoman struggled against her binds, in vain.  
  
Hatter turned around and began walking for the door. "The first step of your conditioning is already well under way. That's why you are only reacting with the most basic and elemental levels of outrage your ... kitty training have left you with. That's why you aren't threatening to kill us. That's why you won't fight too much when dear Tsukuyomi here initiates the second step. But I'm only a poor Hatter, and I'm not fit to touch such a high level entity as the mocking and taunting Cheshire Cat. Not when I must save my special tea party for Alice. Come with me, Dee, Dum, Walrus and Carpenter, and White Rabbit, down the hole! I'm sure our dear ally will work better on her own ..."  
  
"No, actually, I like being watched, it's always --" Tsukuyomi sighed as the Carpenter closed the door, a bit too eagerly, behind them, leaving her alone with Kyle. "I think that man is impotent, I really do. I mean, he could have helped me, by at least making you suck him off, or something. But all the better, I suppose. More for me." And she licked her lips as her sword swiftly cut the top of Selina's costume, sliding the edge down to peel Catwoman's large and round breasts into the open. "Oh dear, Kitty sure has a lot of milk there!"  
  
Catwoman kept on struggling. "I'm going to kill you, little bitch! Don't you dare --!"  
  
"Daring is what I do best," Tsukuyomi said in a sickeningly sweet voice, as she descended upon her.  


* * *

  
_Japan, Mahora:_  
  
Returning home was always the best part of any journey. Or so went a popular saying. Konoe Konoka was of two minds on the subject, but even if she wasn't looking forward to dealing with her role as a Master, she couldn't deny there was a sense of relief in abandoning a place that wasn't her home anymore to return to one that was. She could feel Avenger's invisible spirit form swirling around her in methodical and precise circles, and while it was a dark presence, it also felt oddly protective, and even warm. She hadn't asked him his true name yet; her Servant was of few words, and when he spoke, he was terse and enigmatic. Yet, in her heart, she could tell he was not a bad person.  
  
After all, the reason why she hadn't used a catalyst was so she would summon someone close to her own heart. and that meant Avenger couldn't be bad.  
  
Right?  
  
In any event, she had a lot of fun with her daddy, Setchan and Asuna-chan, even if they hadn't been able to enjoy intimacy with each other since summoning Avenger. They would make up for that later. Especially since Daddy had come with them. It was wonderful in a way, how a sudden simple nebulous Grail affair could get everyone in the Association nervous enough to actually authorize their leader to accompany her and help keep her safe. Konoka was not complaining, and neither were Asuna or Setchan, despite how uncomfortable the latter was looking.  
  
As she had expected after calling them the night before, Negi-kun, Arika-sama, Chisame and Satomi were waiting for them at the train station, although curiously, Iinchou was with them as well, prompting a groan from Asuna as soon as she saw her. "Negi-kun, Arika-sama!" Konoka ran to hug them. "You won't believe all that happened to us in Kyoto! We should have taken pictures, now that I think about it ... and Iinchou! What a nice surprise, but what are you doing here?"  
  
"Oh-ho-ho!" Ayaka let out a short laugh. "That's something I'll be pleased to share with you over dinner, Konoka-san!" And she bowed for Eishun. "Honorable elder. It's been far too long. I trust Asuna-san hasn't excessively troubled you with her presence?"  
  
"It's nice seeing you again too, Iinchou," Asuna deadpanned. "I see you didn't ruin the school while I was away ..."  
  
The man mustered his best smile. "She ... she was not a bother at all, Yukihiro-kun. Rather, she ... helped me to open my eyes in more than one sense." And then, despite being in such public place, he almost fell to a knee. "Arika-him-- Arika-sama. I'm overjoyed to see you once more. I should beg for your --"  
  
Gently, Arika placed a hand on his scalp and ruffled his hair lightly. "No, my Knight," she whispered. "There is no need for formalities between us. I am no Queen of anything anymore, and even if I was, you have proved worthy to stand just as high as I. You have a fine daughter, Eishun. She was one of Negi's greatest assets during his most recent campaign."  
  
After a quick glance at Setsuna, Eishun said, "Actually, I have two."  
  
"Eeeehhhh?!" Negi said, with Chisame echoing him a moment later. Satomi merely blinked and pushed her glasses up, while Ayaka choked briefly on her saliva.  
  
Konoks smiled and hugged the mortified bodyguard. "Yes, Setchan is too, as it turns out, Daddy's daughter too! Isn't that thrilling?" she giggled, despite Eishun's discreet gestures to keep it low. Most of the crowd had already dispersed, though, and the few that remained seemed oblivious, or at least minded their own business, at enough distance. "Oh, Daddy. Don't be like that. I still haven't forgiven you ... although you're making progress towards it."  
  
Chisame took her fogged up glasses and polished them with slightly trembling fingers. "Oh, boy. So, are you two --?"  
  
"No, we aren't!" Konoka smiled even wider, tightening her hold on Setsuna, who whimpered weakly.  
  
"My word," Satomi whispered under her breath, before shrugging it off. "Oh, well, as long as it still brings you emotional satisfaction."  
  
"I knew you'd understand, Satomi-chan," Konoka nodded, then glanced towards her roommate. "Asuna-chan? Isn't there something you'd like to tell Arika-sama?"  
  
Asuna gathered the deepest breath of her life and walked towards the woman who'd apparently given birth to her. "I'm sorry I hit you the other day," she mumbled.  
  
"... and?" Konoka not-so-subtly urged.  
  
In a very, very low voice, Asuna added, "And I don't hate you, I'm not even that sure I dislike you anymore, and ... maybe I'm not the best person to judge you ..."  
  
With a loud, uncharacteristic squeal of pure glee and joy, Arika pulled Asuna towards herself in a bone crunching hug. "MY SWEET BABY GIRL! I LOVE YOU TOO!"  
  
"WE BARELY KNOW EACH OTHER YET!!"  
  
"Then let's change that!"  
  
"You'll regret it, Arika-sama," Ayaka sagely warned.  
  
Ignoring her, Arika continued. "There's a public washroom right there --" Her suggestion was unfortunately interrupted when Asuna stomped a foot on one of Ayaka's, making her shriek.  
  
Negi smiled at that.  


* * *

  
_Gotham:_  
  
While waiting for nightfall, they sometimes played chess. Other times they sparred, and a couple times Dick had tried to interest Bruce in video games, but that had failed miserably. So Dick had stopped trying it. Trying to get Bruce into new things was generally a waste of time.  
  
Not that Dick Grayson minded chess. No one in the Titans liked to play it with him, and he was more of a follower for the game that he cared to admit. Even if Bruce always bested him at it. While barely trying. That was the problem with Bruce. (Well, one of the main problems.) He had placed himself so high, it made it very difficult to relate to him at all. Dick wanted to think he knew Bruce better than anyone but Alfred (and probably Doctor Thompkins) but even so, he often felt like he was in the company of an alien when he was with him. A reserved, frighteningly advanced alien that happened to be your father figure. On second thought, scratch that. Clark was far more relatable than him, and he also fit that description.  
  
Nonetheless, Dick loved Bruce, in that sincere, honest father-son way you won't see much of in this story. Being unable to fully relate to your father was a normal part of growing up in a family, so maybe that actually was the most normal part of their relationship.  
  
Like always, Bruce played black. He was down to his king, both bishops, one pawn and a knight. Dick kept his king, queen, both bishops and both knights. And yet he knew he had lost by now. He only had to look at the board. Looking back, like always, it was perfectly clear now how he had been tricked into getting himself that screwed, but it never looked that way while the game was running its course. That, too, was another of those things Bruce did that you never could fully understand. It was annoying, because it never failed to make you feel dumber, but you had to admire him for that capacity to arrange things under your nose without your ever figuring out he was doing it, or how.  
  
"So, what's in the agenda for tonight?" the younger man asked.  
  
"I want you patrolling the docks," Wayne said, claiming his queen. "Check. There have been rumors about Black Mask moving over to take Dan Doyle's operations, and Doyle's been missing for three days now. Doyle had four warehouses in the South side, and you know Sionis' perchance for the irony. If he wants to dispose of Doyle's body, me might do it there."  
  
"By myself? I mean, it's a piece of cake, but what will you be doing?"  
  
"I have an appointment. I'm going to use an insider to spy on Naba Tetsuo."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Last February's charity ball, remember? You danced with his daughter."  
  
"Oh, yeah, her." He smiled at the memory. "Why call on a third party? I think I could--"  
  
"No."  
  
"Any particular reason?"  
  
"You're too young."  
  
"Bruce, I'm starting college, and you don't even blink at sending me after Two-Face alone anymore. What's so terribly dangerous about a Casanova grandfather with a funny accent?"  
  
"He's going to throw an orgy," Wayne bluntly stated.  
  
After an uncomfortable silence, Grayson laughed stiffly. "Oh, yeah, I can see why that would be dangerous. Because if Star doesn't kill me, Barbara will ..."  
  
Bruce smiled in that small scary way of his, whether because of Dick's recent move or his comment. "Good to see you're starting to realize your weak points. And it only took you seven years. Checkmate."  
  
"Pot, meet kettle. So, who are you sending?"  
  
"Someone who'll be a perfect fit in there. In body, mind and soul. If she still has the latter, in any case ..."  


* * *

  
Elsewhere in the city, Doctor Jeremiah Arkham, great-grandnephew of Amadeus Arkham, founder of what was technically the Elizabeth Arkham Home but was much better known everywhere as Arkham Asylum for the Criminally Insane, kissed the gray, humorless wife he didn't love goodbye and headed out, at a brisk pace, to perform that night's functions as the current Director of the Asylum.  
  
Doctor Arkham supposed he couldn't complain about his lot in life. For more than a decade, he had survived being amongst several of the most violent and dangerous criminals in the world, and had gathered some fascinating studies and stories from them. He had observed unique disorders most of his colleagues only could dream about. He was fairly respected, despite his bad reputation at keeping his inmates locked up for good. (You try and contain several dozens of super geniuses and super powered beings for any long, and see if it's not a thankless and nearly impossible job.) He had amassed enough money to retire comfortably for his twilight years, but stupid and absurd as it sounded, he didn't spend his days with homicidal savages and delusional sociopaths for the money.  
  
He wanted to believe most of his reasons were born from altruism, and the rest from a sense of duty, fulfillment and discovery. He was knowledgeable enough about human nature to suspect that there were other, less respectable reasons, born from a dark thrill and morbid curiosity, but dwelling on those thoughts lay the quickest path to madness. So he didn't.  
  
The thin, bespectacled, well dressed man reached his garage, opened his Ford's door, prepared to get inside. He didn't notice the stealthy, silent figure of well pronounced curves sneaking up behind him until she violently grabbed him and pulled him away from the car. All the while clasping a gloved hand around his mouth, tightly and strongly.  
  
The sounds of faint struggle didn't last long.  


* * *

  
Two hours later, early evening. It was already too dark for most people, outside of the busiest commercial districts.   
  
He waited on the rooftop of the old condemned building near the waterfront, far too visible for the comfort of the person watching him from above, from the higher shadowed rooftop. Still, that only added to the thrill of the encounter. The person watching from above smiled widely to themselves, as befitting the situation.  
  
Then the Bat heard the soft drop right behind him, and he breathed easier, a thought of 'Finally!' coming to him. Gracefully, he spun around, blocking the knife strike coming his way with his armored right glove.  
  
He found himself staring into the Joker's sharp green eyes.  
  
"Darling," the clown hissed, and then headbutted him in the square chin.  
  
Batman played along for the moment. He punched the clown in the stomach, then followed with a fist to his nose. Cackling maniacally, the Joker tumbled back, but his clumsiness was only for show, as he proved by kicking at Batman's chest at the same time. The Bat grabbed his ankle and slammed him against the rooftop, threatening to twist the leg all the way. "The test is over, Mystique," he growled. "It's really me."  
  
"Heh heh heh ..." the Joker chuckled as the white on his face receded, being quickly replaced by a deep dark blue. His eyes became eerily blank, his hair grew longer, changing from green to red. His chest sprouted round breasts. And his voice became a slow, sultry and very feminine one. "I had to make sure, you know. You never know these days. Now anyone can play copycat. Not that I've fallen from my spot as the best, though, or you'd have called Clayface or the Chameleon instead of me."  
  
He let her now shapely leg go, and the mutant shapeshifter rose back to her feet. "You are nothing but the lesser of those evils, Mystique."  
  
"Hey, I'm trying to play on the angels' side nowadays, as long as the angels have money. Even if those angels are dark," she said, reaching over to tease his chest with her fingers. He slapped her hand away. "I bet you never do that to Catwoman."  
  
"I want you for an infiltration job," he said, not bothering with any niceties. "Japan. Two weeks from now on. Naba Tetsuo."  
  
"Oh, yes," she tapped with her fingers on her chin. "The old man is throwing another one of his exclusive parties, isn't he? I was at his dear princess' fourteenth birthday. As a waiter, mind, so it was all job and no fun, but ..."  
  
"I know," he said. "You'll go as Bruce Wayne this time."  
  
She examined her fingernails carefully. "Does he know?"  
  
"He's been ... convinced to cooperate."  
  
"Ouch," she said, in a way which conveyed absolutely no genuine sympathy. "I hope you weren't too rough with him. What do I get?"  
  
"The standard fee Waller and Fury are paying you these days, in your Swiss account. Half now, half after you finish."  
  
"That won't do. With them, it's because of my patriotic --"  
  
"It's because they allow you walk out as soon as you are sent to prison, Mystique. You don't have a single patriotic bone in your body."  
  
She shifted into President Rickard and smiled to him. "Who, me? I'm as patriotic as they come," she added, now changing into Captain America. "That's why I love dead presidents so much, so it'll take you more Washingtons than that to --"  
  
"I will give you half of Magneto's protocols too."  
  
She raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? How did you get your hands on them? I worked for him for years, and even I couldn't --"  
  
"Take it or leave it?"  
  
She looked at him with a deep frown for several tense and silent moments before smiling and extending a hand. "Done! Shake them?"  
  
"I wouldn't shake your hand any more than I would Joker's. Just remember, you can do as much as a dumb millionaire playboy is expected to, but don't touch any children."  
  
"I would never do such a thing!" Pause. "Still, it's what would be expected from a dumb millionaire playboy. But we can discuss the details later. Anything in particular to want me to retrieve while I'm there? Or am I just snooping for anything that interests your fancy?"  
  
"Both." He handed her a small disc. "The details are all here. Don't even think of making backups or it will self destruct."  
  
"How does that even --"  
  
"I'm Batman. And I want it back as soon as you are done. Unless you don't want your second half of the payment."  
  
She hummed, sticking the disc in her Victoria's Secret Storage Room. "Very well, very well. By the way, one of these days you should at least tell me --"  
  
She noticed he wasn't there anymore. "-- how you do that, too. Huh. Seriously, not even The Vanisher ..."  


* * *

  
_Mahora:_  
  
Standing before the biggest window in his office, Konoe Konoemon took a good look at the hulking dark figure standing between him and his son-in-law and granddaughter. "So, then ... an Avenger. We tread into truly unknown territory here; the only known Avenger before you, Avenger-sama, was eliminated early in the Third War, and there's next to nothing known about him or his abilities."  
  
 _ **"My abilities are enough for the task,"**_ the dark being said, with a deep, stoic voice the likes of which Konoemon had heard few times before.  
  
"I am sure they are. You are Konoka-chan's Servant, after all," he poured three small cups of liquor and offered him one. "Would you like --"  
  
 _ **"I don't drink,"**_ Avenger said, motionless like a tower.  
  
"My apologies, then," Konoemon gave that cup to Eishun and sipped from another one, leaving the first one untouched. "Have you registered at the Church yet?"  
  
Konoka nodded. "Yeah, we just came from there. Father Kirei has told us there are no other Servants in record at this point, other than Archer-san. Tomorrow, we'll talk with Emiya-sempai and suggest a truce, as we previously intended."  
  
Konoemon looked at the Servant. "Is that okay with you, Avenger-sama?"  
  
 _ **"Yes. I abhor killing."**_  
  
"A Servant who refuses deadly force. This is certainly unheard of. What a truly unique conflict," the old man mused, looking down at his drink.  
  
"Leaving that aside for a moment, Grandpa, there are a few other things I'd like to discuss," Konoka said. "I won't be going on any more omiais."  
  
The old man looked at her. "Konoka-chan?"  
  
"I have decided I don't need them anymore. Well, I never needed them in the first place, but now less than ever. If I am going to take the family's reigns at some point, I should start by taking the reigns of my own life."  
  
"But, your social interactions, you still aren't ready to --!"  
  
"I think I have developed my social skills a lot recently, between my time at Ala Alba and my exploits in Mundus Magicus," his granddaughter replied. "You could say Mundus Magicus opened my eyes in more than one sense, Grandfather. I ... I remember now."  
  
"You do?" Konoemon pondered slowly. "What, exactly?"  
  
"Okubo-sensei, Grandfather. That's who I remember now."  
  
The Headmaster paled slightly, as Eishun looked down in silence, and Avenger's eyes flared murderously. His clawed gloves flexed tensely, but Konoka's small hand on his arm kept him quiet like a leash.  
  
"I don't hold anything against you, Grandfather," she told him. "I'm sure you had no way of knowing what'd happen, and I know you thought forgetting it would be the best for me. Most likely, I was better not knowing, all through those formative years. But ... well, now I know, and I know this, too; I don't want to be forced to forget, ever again. I don't want to be forced into anything ever again, period."  
  
Konoemon rubbed his eyes, up and down, with a hand. "Konoka-chan, believe me, there are no words to express how truly sorry we've always been about that --"  
  
"Then please don't say anything. It's too late for those words now, and I don't want to dwell into it. I'm not saying this so you could beat yourself up; I just thought you had the right to know."  
  
 _ **"That man,"**_ Avenger growled. _**"Where is he now?"**_  
  
"Dead," Eishun answered dryly. "Before we could locate him and ... punish him, another of his victims gave him a swift end."  
  
 _ **"A fitting end for his kind,"**_ Avenger muttered darkly, letting his gaze linger on Eishun for a moment that seemed eternal. The Elder of Kansai almost shuddered. Surely, there was no way the Servant could suspect --?  
  
The old man with the oddly shaped head looked analytically at Avenger once more. "Allow me to tell you, you sure do look a lot like --"  
  
 _ **"I have heard that before,"**_ Avenger tersely interrupted him.   
  
"And he doesn't like when it's mentioned," Konoka added casually. "So please don't. We are fine, for the moment, not pressuring Avenger-san into giving his real name."  
  
"That is your decision as a Master," Konoemon nodded, and then looked again at Eishun. "Just like it was your decision as a father, to allow her to play the role in the first place. I won't question you. Despite what you may think, you were the best husband Konoeko could have, and I still place my utmost trust on you."  
  
"Thank you, Father," Eishun bowed.  
  
Konoka smiled. "You won't regret it, Grandpa! Daddy has just showed me he's willing to go anywhere and do anything for me!"  
  
While Eishun smiled as best as he could and Konoka patted his hand, Avenger grumbled like a caged animal before asking, _ **"Master. There is something I would like asking from you, as long as you don't need me immediately."**_  
  
She nodded. "Of course, Avenger-san. What is it?"  
  
 _ **"I would like to go on a patrol of this city."**_  
  
She blinked. "Huh?"  


* * *

  
_Arkham:_  
  
"Good evening, Doc. You're late tonight," observed the imposing Aaron Cash, current chief of security of the titanic reinforced fortress that was Arkham Asylum. After Arkham himself, the big man was currently the most veteran member of the staff, despite having had his left hand replaced with a metal prothesis after a fight with Killer Croc. That was enough to intimidate most men, even most madmen, even if his appearance itself did not. "That's not like you."  
  
"I was at a meeting with Miss Kitt here, an expert on psychological reinforcement," the doctor said, somewhat stiffly, even more than was his custom. As he spoke, he gestured towards an attractive young woman in a business suit, dark glasses, and a bun that held her long black hair in place. The woman smiled benevolently at Cash, who could only blink in response before bowing his head slightly. "We will be in my office further discussing extremely important details of the future of this institution, so please make sure we aren't bothered. My secretary will answer all my calls for the night. Is that understood?"  
  
"Sure thing," Cash agreed, feeling something was not quite right there. But then again, things were always wrong to some degree or another in Arkham Asylum. Still, there was something particularly odd about the way they were walking now down the hall, heading for the Director's office. Maybe they had been having a wild time that went too long and out of control? Nah. As if the Doc of all people could ever do that.  


* * *

  
Minutes afterwards, sitting on a hillside overlooking the asylum, Tsukuyomi saw, through her binoculars, the blinking light signals at the previously agreed window. It was time to get to work. Smiling, the young girl swiftly pulled her blades out and hummed sweetly to herself.  
  
She began a light yet fast paced sprint down the hill. Kitty-chan would take care of the alarm system, but it was up to her to avoid visual contact with the guards or, failing that, kill them before they could put the facility on alert.  
  
She was a professional who had given her word, so she would actively strive for the former. And yet, she dearly hoped for some of the latter as well.  


* * *

  
_Arkham Asylum._  
  
 _People feared the name. A dark castle of shadows, wrapped in thick walls and an aura of insanity. The Fortress of Madness itself._  
  
 _There lived a Prince, do you know? A dark Prince of warm, charming smile and the heart of a devil. The Sultan of Swing, the Count of Chaos, Duke of Disaster. The Joker, to his pals._  
  
 _And once upon a day, the Prince got an invitation to a Royal Ball ..._  
  
He laughed dryly, just to himself. He had just had an idea.  
  
He had to. Sitting restrained in the rubber room, almost choked by the tightness of his old straightjacket, faintly smelling of sweat and dried vomit, he had nothing other to do than:  
  
1) Scream to the walls, which really got stale after a while.  
  
2) Fall asleep and have ideas while dreaming, and  
  
3) Have ideas while being awake.  
  
Of course, there also was Choice 4) Vomit again, but today's food hadn't been THAT bad.  
  
Anyway, as for the idea itself ... that was a real beauty: the newest, keenest escape plan ever! Surely no one ever in the history of mankind had ever thought about it before! Now, all he had to do was --  
  
Wait a fershlugginer minute!  
  
He thought he was hearing people screaming now, but initially he dismissed it, because he frequently imagined people screaming. They were pretty cool screams, though, and they even sounded like those of the guards he hated the most, the ones who would push him around and occasionally dunk his head into the toilet, so he closed his eyes and enjoyed them, until something made a loud explosion-type sound several corridors away from him, and the padded room rattled like crazy, tossing green hair all over his face.  
  
The Joker sighed. And here he was, without a comb at hand ...  
  
Opening his eyes again, he saw, or imagined he saw, blood flowing in from the outside, creeping under the door of his cell. Smiling to himself, he licked his dry lips. This hallucination was getting better and better, and any time now, there'd come the part where his dear Batsy came to him, wounded and bloodied, with a murderous look in his ghostly eyes, having seen the light at last, ready to kill him and let him win once and for all ...  
  
Wait for it, wait for it ...  
  
His reinforced metal door fell apart, and in walked a girl with a sword. She was not his dear Batsy, evidently. What a bother.  
  
Still, it wasn't like he wasn't expecting something like that. All those months ago, when that Xellos Metallium supernatural dude had busted him out for the first time, then sent him on an errand to free Quartum Averruncus and retrieve a magical trinket from Kyoto for him, he had known there had to be more to it than that. Obviously, for whatever juicy reason, they weren't done with him yet, and they weren't going to let a pesky mortal thing like laws and imprisonment bother him this time either.  
  
"I'm sorry, but the Mistress isn't here today" the ghostly pale, green haired man told her, as if she was the most normal sight ever. "Try coming back tomorrow, please".  
  
Before him stood a blood-splattered little girl wearing the cutest loli-goth dress not on Evangeline McDowell, with fur and lacy bits and ribbons and cute trim and bunnies and a nice hat to go with it, rather sexy and highly inappropriate pantyhose, a completely blood-drenched sword of differing lengths in either hand, a wild smile on her blood-spattered face, only her glasses not speckled in hemoglobin and plasma. "Joker-sama! Why, you don't look a day older! Despite the unkempt hair and the bruises on your face and the --"  
  
"I've had my head dunked into the toilet one time too many recently, Cutie Pie," the Clown Prince calmly explained. "What's that nonsense about 'one day older'? I last saw you less than a month before!"  
  
"Oh, and it's been such a long month," she laughed lightly, pushing her favored blade into his straightjacket and pulling it up to cut him free, barely coming short of mortally slashing him through the stomach and chest. "It's not like I could come here immediately, even if I had wanted, you know. I was warming a cell of my own. You men are so lucky; mine was much smaller, and tighter, and --"  
  
He stood up rubbing his arms up and down. "The advantages of living in America, baby! Who sent you? Because I highly doubt you came here out of the goodness of your wonderful black heart."  
  
"Oh, don't say that!" she pouted, reaching into her cleavage, such as it was, and pulling out a big box.. "And here I brought you a present and everything! Here, catch!"  
  
The Joker did. "Aw, it's the head of that guy in the parking lot security hut! You shouldn't have!" He kissed her on the forehead, getting blood on his lips. "Hmm, O-positive! Whatever, Tsuku ... Akatsuku ... Akatsuki ... Tsukitsuki ... Stabbing Girl! I suppose they didn't send you here just because my always lovin' fanclub misses the mere sight of me, right?"  
  
"They don't call you a criminal genius for nothing!" she noted sarcastically. "Yes, my current employer wants to have a few words with you."  
  
The Clown looked at her again with mild interest. "Exactly which words, Tsuki-sweetie?"   
  
Her grin grew a bit. "I can tell you this: One of them is Apocalypse. The end of the Magical World hasn't been completely stopped yet, and they want us to deal with some people who still are in the way."  
  
He slapped his hands together. "What a wonderful coincidence! I was just thinking of that the other day. After all, you know how much I loathe leaving loose ends. Being maniacal isn't an excuse to be sloppy and careless."  


* * *

  
Jervis Tetch stared at his wristwatch, which appropriately enough had a Disney White Rabbit design on it. By this  time, the Cheshire Cat had to have opened the gates of Wonderland for their earnest young faux Alice, and they had to be retrieving their ... objective. He loved it when plans worked nicely, like clockwork, in a pleasant stream of order and precision marching through the colorful fields of madness and chaos.  
  
It made him so glad, as a matter of fact, he didn't even really mind the men aiming guns at his head from all directions, as he sat in the Iceberg Lounge's back office, facing the huge desk and the tiny rotund man sitting behind it, surrounded by oversized cages holding all sorts of exotic tropical birds.   
  
"I am in a good mood today, Mr. Tetch," Oswald Cobblepot said with calculated benevolence that still was as cold as his namesake bird's feet. "So I will give you a three-minute chance to explain why, after what I have been led to believe has been an absence of half a year from Gotham, you have seen fit to waltz into my legitimate business despite being a wanted criminal. Fail that, and I will place under a citizen's arrest."  
  
"Oh dear," the Hatter blinked. "So either way, I shall not be feed to your sea leopards?"  
  
The Penguin chuckled, blowing cigarette smoke on his face. "Don't be preposterous. That's what a criminal would do ... and I don't feed my pets dirty lowlives. It makes their delicate stomachs sick."  
  
Tetch shrank down slightly, with a wounded face. "I'm a poor man, your Majesty," the Hatter began, in a trembling voice, "-- and I hadn't begun my tea -- not for the last a week or so -- and what with the bread-and-butter getting so thin -- and the twinkling of the tea --"  
  
"The twinkling of the what?" one of the armed guards asked.  
  
"It began with the tea," the Hatter replied.  
  
Cobblepot rolled his eyes, then bashed the back of the inquisitive henchman's head with an umbrella. "Don't get him started! To the point, Jervis. Your time's running out, and 'Off with his head!' is starting to sound like a good idea."  
  
The Hatter, with very open eyes, nodded quickly. "I have a proposal for you, related to your family."  
  
Penguin laughed bitterly. "Hweh! Hweh! My dear mother died more than twenty years ago, and I refuse to aknowledge anyone else as my family. Now, if you don't have anything better to waste my time with --"  
  
"No! Wait! I mean the Springfields!"  
  
He frowned. "The Springfields? Yes, I know that name. But so what? I haven't ever met a Springfield. They were never anything but parasitic bumpkins leeching off the Cobblepots' money, on the pretenses of distant family ties. Are they still even alive?"  
  
Hatter nodded very quickly. "Yes, indeed! Although that will change soon. Once they die, you would, as their sole remaining relative, inherit all of their legacy. And a very rich legacy, it is!"  
  
Cobblepot, much to his men's shock, began laughing heartily, slapping a chubby hand on his desk. "Hweh, hweh, hweh, that's a funny one, Jervis! What could those ragged beggars ever have that would begin to tickle my fancy? I have built an empire, I invest more money in a month than you will ever have in your life. Why should I believe you, or they, could supply me with anything worth my time and effort?"  
  
"They have magic. Prestige. Power, not in this world, but in another --"  
  
"Sure they do, in the Wonderland down the rabbit hole, don't they?" Penguin asked with amusement. "Gentlemen, hold him down. I'll call the cops. And if he tries to even squirm a finger --"  
  
Then the Hatter shouted, "I need your help to retrieve the son of Miranda Springfield!"  
  
That name. It made Penguin flinch slightly. "Miranda Springfield?"  
  
Hatter nodded quickly. "Your mother's older sister, am I right? Her son, your cousin, he holds the key to --"  
  
Penguin huffed disdainfully. "You will call her Miranda Cobblepot or lose the capacity to call her in any way, Jervis. I will always refuse to admit one of us could ever have married one of them. So, let us suppose I agree to, as a gesture of bonhomie to my aunt's memory, locate her son with your always dubious help. Then what?"  
  
"Then you kill him, if you want so. Or you could let the Red King I humbly serve do it for your convenience. Either way, you will be the sole heir of the Springfield Legacy, and all that implies."  
  
Cobblepot gave him a skeptical, dismissive look, but the fact was he still was rubbing his round chin in contemplation. His eyes had the greedy shine of a magpie's. "First of all," he said, slowly, "I will need to know exactly what this promised reward is about. Your three minutes are long over, so I'll give you nothing but three more to elaborate ..."  


* * *

  
_Mahora:_  
  
"Feel at ease, will you?" Konoka hung her coat as Asuna, Eishun, Setsuna, Negi, Arika, Ayaka and Chisame all walked into the living room. "Avenger-san requested for permission to scout the area, and i just couldn't deny him, so we should be undisturbed for the rest of the afternoon and all night long."  
  
"Aren't you taking this way too easily?" Chisame doubted, while Konoka headed for the kitchen to brew tea. "What if someone sees him? What if an enemy finds him? What if they come for you while he isn't around?"  
  
Konoka answered while tightening an apron around herself. "He promised he will stay invisible unless otherwise needed, there are no new enemy Servants yet, and as for your last question, well, that's why you'll be spending the afternoon and evening with me, right? I couldn't be safer with anyone else."  
  
"Normally, Masters are supposed to tag along with their Servants for such preliminary patrols, but Konoka is still too inexperienced in active combat duty," Eishun reflected. "For the time being, at least, I insisted on acting as her protection, so my Father-in-law has agreed to us spending the next few hours here with her."  
  
"Including me?" asked Arika.  
  
Eishun seemed genuinely surprised by the question. "Why would he object to you?"  
  
"Well," the princess said, "let us just say he and I had deep differences on the subject of Negi's future recently."  
  
"Seriously?" Negi blinked. "What kind of differences?"  
  
"It's all mostly settled now," his mother answered. "But suffice to say, he was leaning towards sending you back to Wales before you could finish this period."  
  
Ayaka, Negi and Chisame gasped aloud. Konoka peeked back out of the kitchen and asked, "What?! Why would he do that?!"  
  
Arika made a vague gesture with a hand. "Without dwelling too deeply on the subject, it's mostly a matter of politics, and of the comfortable management of a major power in times of uncertainty."  
  
"Should we be worried we left Hakase and the ermine alone to look after our rooms?" Chisame grew worried.  
  
"I don't think so," Arika received her cup of just brewed tea with a nod of gratitude. "Like I have said, the subject is settled for the moment, and Konoemon would never move against us."  
  
"You and Grandpa don't get along too well, in general, do you?" Konoka quietly said, sitting across from her.  
  
"Konoka-chan ..." her father sighed.  
  
"No, it's just as well she asks," Arika said. "You are perceptive, Konoka. I don't think there is an actual personal animosity between us, as much as we have different ways to interpret the establishment, and opinions about life and what we should do in it. Although I suspect our views are actually closer than either of us could admit to the other."  
  
"You have said 'for now'," Ayaka spoke. "Is there any risk of Negi-sensei being forced to leave AFTER the current period?"  
  
"There always risks of anything in any given situation," Arika replied. "But I know this: no matter wherever life takes Negi, we will be with him regardless, won't we?"  
  
"Right!" Ayaka was quick to nod.  
  
"Uh, sure thing, I mean, being ... siblings and all, it's my duty ... yeah ..." Chisame kept her own reply slower, and her gaze not as high and straight.  
  
"We will stick with him, too!" Konoka decided. "Won't we, Setchan, Asuna-chan?"  
  
"Konoka!" her father gasped.  
  
"Konoka!" Asuna echoed him a second later.  
  
"Ojou-sama!" Setsuna exclaimed next.  
  
Konoka cleared her throat.  
  
"Ah! My apologies for my mistake, K-K-Kono-chan!"  
  
"We all love Negi-kun like we love each other, don't we?" Konoka asked matter-of-factly. "I don't see any reason to deny it, and seriously, where else could we go? Admit it, we'd feel empty without our cute Negi-kun. In a short time, he's become a very important part of our lives. And he and Arika-sama are your sole living family, Asuna-chan!"  
  
Asuna made an uncomfortable face. "Well, yeah, that's true, but that doesn't mean --!"  
  
"You still feel very uncomfortable around me, don't you?" Arika sipped her tea with a restrained expression. "Even now, you are thinking of me as a Babylonian whore, a despicable lowlife who sleeps with her son and now might set her sights on you. Isn't that right?"  
  
Eishun spat his tea out violently, making Chisame and Ayaka cringe and backpedal. Negi seemed to collapse upon himself.  
  
Ignoring them, Asuna kept eluding looking into her mother's eyes. "Would I be wrong if I supposed that?"  
  
Arika pondered. "Well, I cannot deny my relationship to Negi, and as the combination of myself and the man I once loved the most, I must admit you hold an intriguing level of physical appeal in my eyes."  
  
"Gee, thanks for being that honest," Asuna muttered while Negi loosened the collar that was choking him, and Eishun looked, bewildered, back and forth between mother and son. She bumped a fist against the man's arm. "How would you feel if I told you I have just had sex with this guy, then?"  
  
"What?!" Negi cried.  
  
"Un-freaking-believable," Chisame mused. "More or less."  
  
Arika, after a moment of mildly stunned silence, looked at Eishun, who instinctively shrunk back respectfully. Then she gathered a deep intake of air. "I would have to admit Eishun would never have been, no offense, my choice for your first lover. But I also would have to accept I barely know you, and I've probably lost most if not all rights over you already."  
  
"Darn straight," Asuna nodded.  
  
"So, how did it come to be?" Arika calmly asked, while Negi sat, torn between his urges to avenge a student's honor and his utmost respect for his father's comrade.   
  
"M-Maybe we should leave that discussion for later," Eishun gulped.  
  
"I don't mind!" Ayaka, Konoka and Chisame said almost at once, in different tones.  
  
Asuna opened her mouth to answer, then closed it back. "Wait, wait, I think I smell a trap here. Is this your way to get us all excited over my story so you can end up wrangling us into a weird dirty sex-fest or something like that?"  
  
"Oh, Asuna-chan, that's simply ridiculous," Ayaka intervened sharply. "No one could ever grow excited from listening to your rudimentary narration! If Arika-sama wanted us excited, she would ask me to talk about my recent first wonderful time with Negi-sensei!"  
  
Eishun, who had been wiping the tea he had spilled on the table, dropped the tissue he had been using for it. Negi slumped his head in shame again.  
  
Asuna blinked several times while Setsuna paled hideously and Konoka looked interested. Finally, the redhead said, "Yeah, sure, right! Like I'd believe you, a longtime liar and --"  
  
But then, with a sneer in Asuna's general direction, Ayaka proved her point by grabbing Negi's shirt and violently pulling him towards herself, smashing their lips together.  
  
"Oh dear God!" Setsuna whispered.  
  
Konoka looked curiously at the intense kiss, then smiled saintly and placed her hands together. "You know what? I have just thought of the most wonderful idea!"  


* * *

  
  
_The Asylum:_  
  
"I think there's a disturbance," Pamela Lilian Isley said, sticking her ear to the unbreakable glass door of her cell. Or rather, their cell; the voluptuous redhead with pale greenish skin shared it with a certain perky, bubbly blonde with her hair in short twin pigtails. Theirs was the sole shared cell in all of the building, since, unlike the rest of the inmates, those two actually behaved more peacefully and were less prone to escape attempts when enjoying each other's company. "I swear I heard McGregor screaming."  
  
The younger woman clucked her tongue while reading through her Harlequin romance novel. "Red, if there was any real disturbance, the alarms would be all like AWOO AWOO AWOO, and the lights would be going on and off like crazy again, and Doc A would be all over the speakers sayin' everything is fine and dandy. So nope, I doubt there's anything fishy goin' on. I betcha it's just Jane Doe mimicking voices again."  
  
Narrowing her eyes, Pamela Isley, Poison Ivy, saw a tall curvy woman heading their way across the Women's Wing. She had long black hair bunched up in a tight bun and dressed very conservatively, yet her sensual walking was nearly obscene, swinging her hips seductively, in a way that easily matched Ivy's own. She knew that way of walking well. "Oh, don't tell me..."  
  
While the woman passed next to the cell of a nearly morbidly thin female with short messy hair, that inmate clawed against her glass, muttering obsessively, "Hey, won't you give me some shiny things? I like shiny things, I need shiny things ... not very big things, small ones are fine, I don't ask for much, please come back ... damn." The Magpie dropped her head in despair and defeat.  
  
The visitor stopped before the cell shared by the two women, making the blonde finally close her book and look curiously at her. "Hey, Red. Acquaintance of yours?"  
  
"Pamela Isley and Harleen Quinzel," the visitor said with a husky, strangely spaced out purr.  
  
Ivy smiled. "Of ours, Harl."  
  
Quinzel perked up as the visitor pulled her wig off, showing her actual, just as black but much shorter hair. Then she tossed her glasses aside, and her catlike green eyes sparkled as brightly as her lascivious smile.  
  
"Ahhhh!" Quinzel bounced her way to the door. "Caaaaatwoman! Hey, you still mad over that Christmas caper? You knew well what you were getting into! So, if you came for any kind of revenge, well ... can't we discuss it like sane and civilized women? Even if we ain't?"  
  
The Catwoman's relationship with Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn was, in few words, a complex and difficult one. In only two words, a mess. Every once in a while, they would pull a stunt together, but when she was around to complete the trio, the duo's normally smooth teamwork suffered, not to mention Catwoman's habitually successful solo efforts.  
  
Yet, it kept happening. None of them would admit it, but there was a thrill and satisfaction on gathering and showing that city who ruled it, on escaping through the night and bedeviling the Bat. Now, through the feverish haze of her new outlook in life, Catwoman wanted to run even wilder with that thrill. And explore a whole new side to it.  
  
"Oh, I didn't come for any payback," she licked her ruby red lips as she punched the key sequence Doctor Arkham had been kind enough to share with her, on the electronic lock for their door. "But even so, I can't guarantee you we aren't going to do anything civilized, sane or moral. Thinking back on our ... differences of philosophy, I have realized you might have been actually right the whole time ..."  
  
"Really? Don't you say," Ivy smiled, hands on her own generous hips, as her door went open. "So, what do you want us for?"  
  
Catwoman reached up for Quinn, grabbed her by her shirt's collar, and pulled her into a violent kiss.  
  
Ivy raised an eyebrow. "Really? _That?_ Well, you certainly have my attention now ..."  


* * *

  
Near the docks, one of the small alarm transmitters in the cowl of a certain Dark Knight Detective began beeping. From its frequency and rhythm, he instantly knew it was the one he had set at Arkham.  
  
However, his police radio scans were not picking any emergencies, so odds were it was a stealthy infiltration or breakout. If the alarms the staff had installed were not working, there was no way of knowing how many inmates could escape before the police received official word on the incident.  
  
Going to help Dick out could wait. He trusted the boy to handle his end of the night's missions by himself, but no matter what, he was always reluctant to bring Dick with him to Arkham. If, somehow, his personal alarm was failing, they would lose an important likely lead on Black Mask by abandoning that post. And if the alarm was an actual indication of chaos brewing at the Asylum ... he wouldn't place Dick in that great of a risk.  
  
He swung down to his sleek, dark vehicle, started the ignition, and made a call. "Gordon. It's me. I have reasons to believe there might be a break-in or breakout in progress at Arkham. You might want to send a squadron."  
  
"Are you sure?" Jim Gordon's voice came through his radio. "We aren't picking any calls from the place, and the neighboring areas don't report any explosions or the usual kind of mayhem surrounding an escape."  
  
"I'm almost positive," he replied, steering through the dark streets at full throttle.  
  
"Fine. I'll send Bullock, Montoya and a tactic unit. Are you there yet?"  
  
"I'll arrive before you do. Don't worry about me," he said, cutting the call.  
  
In almost no time, he was screeching to a halt before the foreboding building in the north outskirts of Gotham. Everything seemed normal for that place's standards. Eerily quiet, with only the occasional howl of savage mania coming out through a window here and there.  
  
He pulled his binoculars with enhanced night vision and scanned the nearest surveillance tower. There. Just what he hadn't wanted to see. A dead guard, with a bleeding hole in his chest, slumped on one side over his panel of controls.  
  
No time to waste. No time to wait for Gordon's reinforcements. He would have to get in before more lives were lost.  
  
He shot his grappling hook gun over the tall metal fences surrounding the psychiatric institution and hurled himself above them.  
  
He did it with no regrets or hesitation.  


* * *

  
_Mahora:_  
  
Ayaka, Negi and Chisame sat side by side, watching, in befuddled amazement, as Konoka grabbed her father and began kissing his mouth, with wild, relentless abandon. Asuna sat slightly aside from them, clearly uncomfortable as Arika rested an arm around her shoulders. For her part, Setsuna fidgeted as much as she could without losing her grave warrior dignity.  
  
Konoka pulled back, licked the combined saliva from her lips, and beamed a smile to her friends. "See? Daddy won't mind!"  
  
"Aaaaahhhh," went a pallid Negi.  
  
"Good thing the ermine isn't here," Chisame said.  
  
Konoka made a small pout. "Oh, come on, Chisame, why do you always have to play so hard to get?"  
  
"Hard to get?" Chisame echoed.  
  
"I think she means 'tsundere'," Ayaka answered for the other rich girl.  
  
"I am a tsundere?" Chisame took her hand to her chest. "Hey, Kagurazaka is the tsundere here!"  
  
"No, I'm the Cool Big Sis! You're the only one here bipolar enough to count as tsundere! Setsuna-san is kuudere, Konoka is dere-dere, and Iinchou is a full time bitch!" Asuna argued.  
  
Arika pinched her on the arm. "Asuna! Mind your manners!"  
  
Ayaka sneered. "Let her be, Arika-sama. I long ago grew accustomed to Asuna-san's fits of petty envy. Oh, if only you had been there to guide her steps, she wouldn't have turned out so crude!" she lamented.  
  
Asuna snorted. "Why aren't you calling me an ape now, huh? C'mon, start taking all those implied cheap shots at my lineage again!"  
  
"Girls!" Negi actually raised his voice. Asuna and Ayaka fell into a mutually hostile silence.  
  
Konoka placed a hand on her cheek. "Oh dear dear, I didn't propose this so you two would fight yet again. I, I only wanted for us to become closer as a group of friends, no, partners! A tightly knit team both in and beyond the battleground! Please, I know I'm asking for a lot with this, but don't ruin that dream, Asuna-chan, Iinchou!" And she gave them that innocent, soulful and pleading look everyone was always powerless against.   
  
Setsuna melted in the spot. Negi felt a knot in his throat. Asuna looked down, with blushing cheeks, and even Ayaka's cough was tinged with a strange cadence. "W-Well," the blond heiress said, "since you ask so nicely, and for such a noble goal, I suppose I can't do anything but agree to help you, and I know I can't be impatient with someone as needful of mature guidance as Asuna-san."  
  
"Y-Yeah, as you can see, poor delusional Iinchou needs people who can help her sort out her ... special needs ... so, since it's you asking, Konoka-chan," Asuna said, with a hand on her own mouth.  
  
Konoka beamed a very bright smile. "Oh, I'm so glad! Let's all get naked, then! Chisame, what if we call Misora, Cocone-chan, Natsumi-chan and Chizuru too? After all, Asuna and me won't mind, and since they're already --"  
  
Negi blinked. "If, if you're following that line of logic, we should invite Sugiura-sensei as well, since she --" Then he noticed the way Chisame was staring at him, and he gulped, "Never mind!"  
  
Chisame looked away from him and sighed. "One step at a time, Konoe. One step at a time, okay?"  
  
But nonetheless, she'd started stripping without waiting for Negi's approval. After all, if she was going to be a demon, she had to stop giving a crap about that sort of stuff. Arika was already stripping naked at a steady pace that yet managed to convey the utmost elegance, and Negi, after letting a small sigh out, blandly said, "My apologies, Setsuna-san, Asuna-san," before taking a hand to his shirt and unbuttoning it. Eishun moved his mouth to start protesting, but the subtle yet unmistakable looks Arika and Konoka sent his way moved him to relent silently and start pulling his clothes off as well.  
  
Satisfied, Konoka smiled, nodded, and moved around to help a hesitating Sakurazaki out of her garments. Although also very reluctant at first, Ayaka quickly saw the look of mildly afraid doubt in Asuna's face, which made her smirk in turn and begin pulling her clothes off her body as quickly as she could. Recognizing a challenge when she saw it, Asuna grumbled and began getting naked at the same speedy pace.  
  
Soon, the seven of them were just as naked, and this time Chisame had even left her glasses on top of the small pile of clothes at a corner. The mildly disturbing sight of her panties ending up somehow on Eishun's briefs made her block her breasts with an arm, as she blushed and sat on the floor with her legs folded just enough to hide her sex. "Th-his is stupid. A-and how do we start, anyway? Last time, things just happened, it wasn't planned at all, so ..."  
  
Arika stepped ahead. "Since I am, unless Eishun's customs have changed radically during these years, the one the most experienced in the matters of group sex, I will direct this encounter, as long as none of you minds."  
  
"I'm fine with it, Arika-sama! Teach us, please!" Konoka sounded truly thrilled. The more she went into this, the more she actually liked it!  
  
Arika smiled at her, then reached for her chin and delicately pulled her face towards her own, kissing her lips delicately. Setsuna's skin crawled violently, and Eishun, despite everything, mildly staggered back. Arika broke the kiss, licked Konoka's mouth, and told her, "I think Asuna will need some warming before being comfortable loving me, so would you help me with that? Perhaps watching us will get her in the mood."  
  
Asuna sputtered something that sounded like a combination of denial and cry for help.  
  
Konoka's eyes rolled back towards Setsuna. "Setchan? You're okay with this, aren't you?"  
  
"W-W-Whatever you d-decide is fine with me, Oj-- ohhh dear Imouto-chan!" her sister gasped.  
  
Konoka smiled gently. "That's so sweet of you," she sighed, before reaching around to cup Arika's firm, round buttocks in her small hands. In turn, Arika purred and slid a hand between Konoka's legs, starting to touch her in a way Setsuna and Asuna could never have matched before. Konoka gasped in abrupt pleasure into Arika's mouth. "A-A-Arika-sama!"  
  
Chisame felt like she had to feel frustrated then, which to be fair was her default reaction to everything. "Heeeeyyy! Didn't you say you were going to coach us? So why are you starting by ignoring us, at least tell us what to do before --" then she felt a soft tapping on her shoulder. "What?!" she looked back.  
  
Standing behind her, Negi stood sheepishly, pointing at her small but very rigid thing. "Umm, Chisame-chan, I was thinking, maybe we should start by, assuming you're okay with it, of course."  
  
"Senseiiiiii!" Ayaka whined, all but pushing Asuna aside. "Not fair! She went first last time!"  
  
Negi blinked. "Oh! Oh, that's right, sorry, Iinchou-san, that slipped my mind, it's just --"  
  
"He no doubt thought you'd want to go with Kagurazaka first," Hasegawa snarked, placing herself on all fours before him. That was giving the amazed Eishun a clear view of her privates now, but by now she had realized she either had to leave or be willing to go all the way there.  
  
"HEY!" Asuna and Ayaka yelled at once.  
  
Arika smiled at them, looking over Konoka's shoulder as she kept fingering the gasped and twitching Konoe heiress, who by now was clinging to her desperately. "That has an easy solution. Negi, I want you to sit down on that couch. Chisame, Asuna, Ayaka, I want the three of you to kneel on the floor before him, next to each other."  
  
"Isn't that a degradating expression of our gender submitting to his?" asked Chisame. "A sexist surrender of our needs to his?"  
  
"He'll lick the three of you after you're done," Arika promised. "Eishun as well, if you wish so."  
  
"I will?" the adult male swallowed, despite his erection pulsing once in clear disagreement with the doubt in his voice.  
  
"Wait, what, him?" Negi hesitated, even while obeying his mother, with his legs slightly spread. Ayaka quickly took her kneeling place right before him, and not to be undone, Chisame and Asuna knelt at her left and right respectively. "Um, never mind. Now ... now what?"  
  
Asuna had never seen Negi completely naked before. He, on the other hand, had caught glimpses of her bare body those times he had sneezed on her, but he never stared for very long. However, now that he was getting his first real long look at her nudity, she didn't look that different from Chisame, Konoka, Ayaka or even Chizuru. Or his mother. Indeed, she was very much like his mother, only not as ... motherly.  
  
For her own part, Asuna, despite how disgusting she was finding this, in a trainwreck way, now couldn't take her eyes off Negi's ... thingy, she decided, unable to use the term that Arika insisted upon, but recognizing that manhood wasn't right either. Before Eishun, she had never actually seen one, circumcised or otherwise, and so wasn't really sure what she was looking at. Eishun's was very different. It was like comparing Itoshiki's scrawny arms with those of Rakan.  
  
"Isn't it so very, very cute?" an amorous Ayaka sighed.  
  
"That ... isn't exactly the word I'd have thought for it," Asuna resorted to slowly licking her own lips.  
  
"So, is it bigger or smaller than what you were expecting?" asked Chisame.  
  
Asuna was about to reply honestly, but looking at Negi's nervous face made her change her mind. She didn't hate the brat enough to make him suffer. "I suppose it's adequate, for his age," she observed non-commitally.  
  
"Look, you have to kiss it. Like this," Ayaka said, and she swooped down to take his thingy in her mouth.  
  
"Uh, kissing, you said?" Asuna objected.  
  
"This is kissing," Ayaka replied as she came up for air. "See my lips puckered? Kissing. Never said which part I'd kiss. Monkeys get this." She punctuated her words with licks of the tumescent organ, taking it back in when she was done.  
  
For some reason, the even-more-condescending than usual way Iinchou had said that made Asuna see red. She thought she could mock her like that, did she? She thought she was afraid, didn't she? Well! She'd show her, then!  
  
"Oh yeah? Well, this is what I call kissing!" Asuna replied, and after a very brief moment of doubt, she surged up from the floor to press her lips Negi's and rub her breasts against his upper torso. Another stunned moment of panic later, and once he realized Chisame was sitting back watching on in silence instead of killing him, he responded passionately, reaching up to run his hands through Asuna's hair.  
  
Ayaka would have ground her teeth, except that she knew to do so would do Negi harm. Well, to some degree at least, with him being nearly invulnerable now. She still wasn't willing to take risks with such a precious and delicate (and cute!) part of his boyish anatomy.  


* * *

  
_Arkham:_  
  
He moved through the labyrinthine passages and corridors like a smoothly flowing living shadow, never making a noise, but always on the defensive. So far, he had only found four dead guardsmen, including the one at the vigilance tower, the one in the parking lot, and two more inside. But no more corpses, nor any living ones for that matter. No orderlies either. The camera system had been turned off.  
  
Yet, all of the inmates he had seen so far continued to be safely locked up. Even while starting his way across the Maximum Security wing, he had not noted the absence of any of them. Dent, Nygma, Zsasz, Waylon Jones. They didn't even seem aware of anything being out of what passed for normal for them until they saw him, at which point they started mumbling aggressively, or whispering cryptic conundrums in Nygma's case.  
  
He saw the thick trail of blood as soon as he reached the fork linking three corridors together; it came from an alternate path to the main back door. The convergence of those paths led to Joker's cell, which was all the way at the end of it.  
  
The Bat charged that way, only to stop abruptly, as soon as he heard a weak rustle of fabric above him, and felt a tiny droplet of warm and thick liquid falling on his back.  
  
A quick look up confirmed his suspicion; there was someone clinging to the railings of the ceiling, grinning down at him in a sadistic way.  
  
He had not suspected it would be Tsukuyomi, the young mercenary he and Negi Springfield's group had faced in Kyoto. He had been led to believe, from Takahata's calls, she was kept prisoner too far away for her to matter anymore. As she dropped on him with swords at the ready and a manic rapid giggle, however, it became clearly evident that nothing could be left to chance when it came to prisons on other worlds, either.  


* * *

_Mahora:_  
  
"Now, ladies, there's much to be said for both your perspectives," Arika said, conciliatingly, as her own hand moved through Ayaka's hair and caressed down her spine, making her quiver. "Much to be said for both kinds of kissing. You already know that, don't you, Ayaka?" She took hold of the hair and slowly, gently pulled her head back, so as to demonstrate this by kissing Ayaka's mouth.  
  
Ayaka promptly kissed back, and for a few moments their tongues battled back and forth like tiny gladiators. One of Ayaka's hands, the one that didn't keep caressing Negi's genitalia, reached up to grope one of Arika's large breasts, thumb circling the wine-colored areola and pinching the nipple. Arika's own hands curved around Ayaka's firm buttocks, squeezing them.  
  
"Mnmmm," Arika sighed with pleasure. "Are you sure you haven't done this before?"  
  
Despite everything, Ayaka managed a light, uncomfortable blush. "W-Well ..."  
  
She felt everyone's eyes on her now, and she looked aside with mild discomfort. "I-I'd never have betrayed my fated love for Negi-sensei by offering my body to any other man!"  
  
"Man," Asuna repeated the word, as she moved behind a blinking Negi and hugged him from there, her hands absently falling on his privates.  
  
"Y-Yes, Man!" Ayaka sizzled, frustrated. "Okay, so Siesta-san taught me a few of the details she helpfully supplied me through practice! So, so what? We, we didn't do anything but touching each other a few times, it was all just so I could see how it was done, and, and okay, so m-maybe we kissed, but kissing each other is just a simple way of greeting in her country, so --!"  
  
Arika blinked. "Siesta?"  
  
"One of my housemaids," Ayaka had to mumble.  
  
"I don't think there's anything wrong in being nice to your hired help, Iinchou," Konoka playfully teased.  
  
"Does she ... does she come from Mundus Magicus, perhaps?" asked Negi's mother.  
  
It was Ayaka's turn to blink. "Why, yes, she's a member of the Immigration Program. As a matter of fact, it was her who first told me about magic ... why do you ask, Arika-sama?"  
  
The adult woman smiled. "If it's the same child I am thinking of, we used to know her mother, back from when we had dealings with the Academy of Ariadne. There, she also worked as part of the maintenance and kitchen staff. Is not that right, Eishun?"  
  
The man coughed awkwardly. "Well ... yes, indeed."  
  
"Oh Daddy!" Konoka gasped. "Don't tell me she's another sister of mine!"  
  
"What ... NO! I never even touched her!" Eishun protested.  
  
Konoka gave him a bland yet harsh look. "Oh, so there's something wrong with fucking plebeians? Bad elitist Daddy!"  
  
"It's not like that!" Eishun said at his wit's end.  
  
Chisame narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "Wait, if Iinchou's mother was Nagi's lover, and he also must have known that woman, and that woman left her daughter with Iinchou's mother, that doesn't also mean --"  
  
"Yes," Arika nodded, but before anyone else could connect the dots, and since Chisame was too busy pulling her jaw back up into place, the Princess smoothly continued, pulling his beloved's blond illegitimate child towards herself, "Asuna, come down here, please."  
  
Asuna guessed where this was going and blanched even as she pulled back from Negi's hungry lips kissing the curve of her cheek. "Oh, no," she muttered. "You've got to be --"  
  
" _Now_ , dear." Despite the cheerful, musical tone, it was an unmistakable command, and Asuna followed it, coming back down to the floor as Negi struggled to get back up.  
  
"All right," said Arika, and now her tone wasn't musical at all. "You two have been fighting for a very long time, and if you were honest, you'd admit to fighting mostly because you like it rather than due to any grudge. I am not saying that you can't fight any more, but if you are both going to be part of my son's harem, you cannot be fighting when you're in our bedroom. So since we all know that this hostility is a cover for something else, let's get that something else out in the open, once and for all. Start kissing."  
  
"Wait, harem? We had never discussed anything about a harem!" intervened Chisame.  
  
Arika stared at her. "Seriously? What about that agreement you reached with Ayaka, Natsumi-san and Naba-san, then?"  
  
"That was a sharing pact, not a harem pact!" Chisame began pacing back and forth in circles, as Eishun kept looking at her with a vacant expression and a smirking Konoka pinched his arm. "Those are completely different things! Even I know that, and I don't know the first thing about perversion! 'Harem' implies we belong to a single man, and I'm no one's possession!"  
  
Arika half-sighed. "A commendable attitude, actually, but your language is limited, and certain conventions are usually followed while talking about taboo subjects. I'm not asking for you to be Negi's slave, just one of his co-wives."  
  
"Co-wives?!" Negi paled.  
  
Chisame frowned, but nodded at her Not-Mother-In-Law, although she still didn't look happy. "I guess that sounds somewhat better, but --"  
  
"I'm so glad you agree," Arika quickly looked back at her daughter and her rival. "Well? Don't sit idle. Make up your minds."  
  
Asuna and Ayaka looked at each other out of the corner of their respective eyes. Each slowly turned to face the other. "This doesn't mean we're friends, right?" they chorused, then nodded. And then Ayaka lunged forward to kiss Asuna passionately, Asuna's hands coming up to wrap around Ayaka's shoulders.  
  
"The rest should be easy," Arika mused as she crawled up into the couch with Negi, kissing him deeply and rubbing his cock with the hand that wasn't gently carressing his buttocks.  
  
"Uh, I'm still a little unsure about this... harem notion," Negi said weakly, not quite carried away by how his mother made him feel. He'd had a chance to build up resistance. "I don't think that a proper English gentleman should -"  
  
"But Negi, you are not only a proper English gentleman," Arika said persuasively. "You are also an Ostian of the highest order of nobility, and it is entirely in keeping with that status for you to have a harem." Very few Ostians, even among the royalty of that land, had ever chosen to have a harem. They could have if they'd been minded to do so, though. "You do not want to reject your maternal heritage, do you, my son?" Her grip tightened, and one finger gently probed his anus.  
  
"Uhhhh," he said authoritatively.  
  
Eishun, Konoka and Setsuna sat in still silence, watching with varying degrees of morbid fascination.  
  
"This is so cool," Konoka finally mused softly. "Isn't it, Setchan?"  
  
"Ahhh ... yes?"  
  
"Then come here and kiss me," her sister invited.  
  
Now that was a command Setsuna didn't hesitate to obey. Although somehow, it dd sort of bother her to have to look away from Asuna-san's vivacious lovemaking. She and Ayaka continued to kiss each other, moving back and forth as they pressed up against each other like a pair of wrestlers. Hands groped and pinched at toned muscles and fleshy parts. And then two of Ayaka's fingers slid down Asuna's lower belly and headed up in a different direction, making Asuna's eyes go wide and her mouth make a _"yerg!"_ sound.  
  
"What?" asked the blonde, pulling back from their frantic mutual osculation. "Don't act like you've never been touched before!"  
  
"Not by a girl, not like that!" Asuna retorted, returning the favor and going one better before slamming their lips together again, noting with satisfaction a quite similar _"yerg!"_ sound coming from Ayaka's mouth as she did. It wasn't easy, but she developed a vague plan of doing what she did when she masturbated, only backwards and to someone else.  
  
Getting the thumb up to where it was supposed to be was trickly, but from the gasping that Ayaka did in response, it was also pretty clearly worth it. _Not so self-satisfied now, are yaaaah,_ Asuna thought as Ayaka brought her whole other hand over to caress Asuna's pearl of great price while the fingers of the original hand moved through the gates of Venus. It felt great.  
  
So naturally, Ayaka being Ayaka, she had to spoil the moment. "Wait, I thought you said you'd been with Setsuna-san, and Konoka-san, so how--" she asked, breaking the kiss.  
  
"I really don't want to talk about my sexual history, Iinchou, both because this isn't the time or place --" Asuna replied, through gasps of great pleasure, Her other hand curved around Ayaka's backside to tease at the hole in her butt.  
  
"Ngh, if you're going to do that, at this time and place, you could at least use my name!" Ayaka interrupted.  
  
"-- and because! _I! Don't! Like! **You!**_ " And to prove it she pushed forward, slamming their mouths together, trying her heart out to reach Ayaka's tonsils with her tongue and knocking her back so that she was almost on the ground, only held up by Ayaka's other arm.  
  
And then, once again, she felt the world go all crystalline around her as all of her senses went into overdrive and a low scream bubbled up out of her stomach and a part of her mind felt Ayaka growing tense and taut too and wondered what had just happened to the fingers she had up in her eternal rival to make them get so wet and ... and ...  
  
"Oh," Asuna said, dazedly. "I think I just had an orgasm."  
  
"You think?" Ayaka asked, equally out of breath.  
  
"Only ever happened with Eishun-sama," Asuna admitted. Then blinked. "Um, but of course, it's not the same. Not, not even close to it."  
  
Konoka was, at the time, far too busy humping her crotch against Setsuna's to comment, but Chisame, who had been silently watching them all that time, took the opportunity to hang her usual lampshade. "Oh, really? Then his must have been real dynamite, because you sure looked like you were having the life blown out of you for a moment there."  
  
Asuna gave her a really dirty look. "Oh, you think so? Well, Chisame, it's not like I can expect you to understand what it's like to be with a real man instead of a child like --" She broke off for reasons that had nothing to do with Ayaka's suddenly hostile glare. "But yeah, it was real grade A dynamite, thanks for noticing it! You should try some real MAN-meat someday too, you know!"  
  
Chisame sneered. "Cute bait, Kagurazaka, but I'm not taking it. Whatever happens between Sensei and me isn't any business of yours, right, Sen ... sei ..." Her voice trailed off as she looked towards Negi, only to find him pounding away behind Arika, who was on her hands and knees on the floor. His eyes were tightly closed, and his cheeks red, his hands on his own hips as he thrusted and pulled and thrusted.  
  
Hasegawa spent the next few moments watching them with very huge and round eyes, until she made an exasperated hissing sound. Turning around, she began to walk away, muttering as she did. "Weeeell, enjoy your casual sex then! I'll just go find ... my own ..." Her voice trailed off when she stumbled into the strong, eerily silent figure of Konoe Eishun, and the very big solid thing hanging from between his legs. Since this ... encounter had started, she hadn't bothered to take a good look at it, but she did so now, and that made her gasp slightly. "Aaaahhhhh."  
  
Konoka spoke from between Setsuna's legs as she licked the last few remnants of her sighing sister's female juices from her lips. "Oh, Daddyyyyyy, why aren't you being a dearie to Chisame-chan as well? I'd love watching you two together!"  
  
Now that made Negi's eyes snap wide open. "W-What? NO!"  
  
Since that made him stop what he had been doing, an annoyed Arika pushed her hips back against him, urging him to continue. "Son, actually, I believe that would be a wise course of action. It could help you to get over one of your most glaring and crippling character flaws."  
  
"My inability to draw lines and just say 'no'?" The boy actually looked hopeful  
  
"The way he attracts the attentions of more people than he could possibly please?" Ayaka warily asked.  
  
"His hideous martyr complex?" Chisame guessed.  
  
"His stubborn insistence on keeping those who would help him at bay to do everything himself?" Asuna asked next.  
  
"All those ... will be worked on later. One step at a time," Arika said. "Now, Negi, I want you to learn to share just like your companions are doing."  
  
"Eh, by sharing, you mean --" her son pouted.  
  
"Yes, Negi," the Queen of Calamity replied. "I have noticed the way you react to Chisame being in the company of others, when those others are male. You still have the mindset of someone raised in a patriarchal society and treating women as subordinate to men. Now, I know you are far better about it than others who will go unnamed." She looked over to where Eishun stood helplessly, pointing a disbelieving finger at himself. "But you still react with jealousy at the mere idea of Chisame enjoying herself with others of the male variety, while enjoying it whenever she is with other females. That is a double standard, and it just won't do. You need to realize that, if she loves you, mere carnal contact with someone else won't make her abandon you, much like I never abandoned or stopped loving your father."  
  
"That, that may be ... sorry, I mean of course that is true," Negi amended hastily after a glance Chisame's way. "But, even so --"  
  
"Besides, Negi, your team will need added male companionship," the blond adult smoothly continued. "It is not healthy for you to go through life without any male company to bond with. A balance is needed between your overall relationships. Your father was well aware of that."  
  
"Right," Negi nodded.  
  
"So," his mother continued to expound on her dubious philosophy. "Since it is cruel for any other males around you to be denied of their pleasures while you enjoy yours, I have decided you need help to overcome your natural qualms about the subject. You need to realize Chisame will not leave you because she loves you, in body and soul, no matter how many others she is with. Isn't that right, Daughter-In-Law?"  
  
"But, but I'm not really interested in being with any other men!" Chisame said.  
  
Asuna looked at her. "You haven't been with any other guy yet?"  
  
"Of course not!" Chisame snapped.  
  
"Well, that's what we are here to correct, in any case. For now, let us focus on getting over your fears of inadequacy. Negi, if Chisame isn't going to choose Ayaka or Naba-san over you and abandon you after intimate contact with them, neither will she after contact with another male. That is logical and rational, and you are a logical and rational man, aren't you."  
  
"He's been impregnating girls at left and right, so I guess he isn't," Chisame opined.  
  
"It's just a different kind of logic," Arika reassured her verbally while giving her a quelling glare. "I have the outcome well covered and the details worked out already, as I am sure you know. Regardless, to help you get accustomed to the idea, we will start with Eishun's gracious help. The initial blow will be lessened if you start by seeing a trustworthy, kind and considerate longtime friend of our house with your beloved, son."  
  
"That's gotta be the most screwed up, self-contradictory sentence I have ever heard!" Chisame protested.  
  
Arika smiled at her. "Oh, I know. You are afraid you could get pregnant from Eishun, aren't you. You desire for your firstborn to come from Negi, don't you. Well, then rejoice and enjoy yourself with a clear mind, my dear." And then she was reaching over, caressing her lower stomach to right above her vaginal conduit. The blonde had a faint smile on her mouth. It was an odd smile, Chisame thought, as though it hid more than it revealed.  
  
"What's ... wrong ..." the teenager asked between gasps for breath  
  
"Wrong? Absolutely nothing," the woman said in what sounded like a satisfied tone before kissing her. "I approve fully of your allegiance to my son, just as I approve of my grandchild growing in your womb. Allow me, then, to seal our familiar union with a deeper, closer contact!"  
  
After a moment when she was as shocked, stunned and perplexed as everyone else in the room (except Konoka, who simply chirped an excited 'Congratulations!') she couldn't help but hum, her treacherous hormones taking over her shattered mind again. "Thank you, Mother," she sighed, beginning to return the kiss.  


* * *

  
_Gotham:_  
  
It was all coming back to him now, quickly, as his well trained mind had grown accustomed to do after every time he was knocked out and had to wake up quickly to gain an accurate reading of his surroundings. It had started to go wrong as soon as the girl mercenary had jumped down on him. She was faster than him, even faster than Lady Shiva, and each sword slash of hers held considerable power for someone so small and waif-like. Still, her attention span was erratic at best, and it was obvious from the start she was toying with him rather than going with a single direct killing charge, which he wasn't sure he could have survived. Those were exploitable lapses in her nearly non-existent defense.   
  
Too concerned with lashing out and taunting him, she left herself too open, believing herself unbeatable. She got a good deep cut across his right ribs very early in the skirmish, but by striking there, she allowed him to pull the flash grenades and slam them to her face, shattering her glasses.  
  
"My glasses! My glasses!" she shrieked and coughed, resorting to slashing wildly around, letting him duck and perform a leg sweep on her feet. "Eeeeeek!"  
  
Both of his fists fell on her face, just as he heard a shrill "Banzai!" from a familiar voice, and Quinn leapt on his back. He punched her back, just as she kicked him. Ivy was already warily approaching as well, but with no plants around to manipulate, she was only a minor concern barely armed with a chair. A moment later, that chair was smashed against her own head and she was tossed against a wall.  
  
"Why, you mean, abusive chauvinistic pig!" Tsukuyomi whined and squinted, falling back on her other senses to successully stab him on a shoulder, while Harley slid around to kick his (well-armored) crotch. He took a hold of Quinn's leg and swung her against the young girl, while from behind, another woman came on him and clawed at his face.  
  
"Selina?" he grunted, nonetheless not wasting any time on headbutting her, making her stagger back. "Why are you doing this?!"  
  
She only hissed like a feral cat, starting a precise whirlwind of punches and kickes on him, of which he only could block half, as he absorbed the rest. He pulled the gas grenade next, and a second later, smoke filled the corridor. While the females rasped and gagged, he went down to wrap a cable around Quinn's legs, taking her out of the fight for now. A surprise kick to Tsukuyomi's solar plexus bought him some more time. While Ivy still was out of it, he grabbed Catwoman and bashed her against the floor. No time to be gentle. He'd apologize later. The crazed look in her eyes, and her irrational behavior, made it obvious she was not herself at the time.  
  
That was when the Arkham guards finally showed up, a dozen of them at least, all in riot gear and wearing gas masks.  
  
And they ganged up on him.  
  
Mind controlled as well, no doubt. They only would stall him, though. Despite being buried under their pile of whacking, frantic bodies, he was quick to punch them all aside, one after another. The fact they got into each other's way and hit each other in their frenzy to hurt him wasn't helping them either. They had lost any tactics they ever had. Too crude a teamwork for them to be guided by Grodd, or Manchester Black, and the White Queen of the Hellfire Club was supposed to be reformed, but that still left too many other options.  
  
As men were being sent flying in all directions, the women regrouped together, with Quinn helping Isley back up. Selina was handing Tsukuyomi a pair of spare glasses she had been carrying tucked into her cleavage, so this had obviously been set up with enough planning and foresight. "Who is leading you?!" he growled, shaking the last guard off. The narcissists could rarely keep their hand hidden. There was an actually good chance they would actually answer him correctly.  
  
"Ah, ah. That's my question to ask," another voice said from behind, just a moment before his head was hit with something too heavy and thick for him to resist. If not for the reinforced cowl, it would have snapped his skull and neck. Instead, he only fell limply at those white feet in regulation inmate slippers.  
  
"You ..." he managed to gurgle weakly. Through his quickly blurring eyes, he could see the wide grin, the yellowed teeth, the sparkling green eyes. The huge container in his hands, a black metal cylinder with a long code number and the 'Karlo' name on it. "Why ...?" he asked.  
  
The Joker sneered, then lightly punted his chin. "I still can't believe you keep asking the same thing. When you know so well the answer will always be 'Why not'?"  
  
And then he was out.  
  
Now he felt a strong, chilling draft all over his body. For good reason, since he wasn't wearing anything but his cowl. He was in a dark room, a wide one with a rancid, putrid stench all over it. He could see a few figures in the shadows, standing at a prudent distance from him. He didn't take long to recognize their basic features. Isley, licking her lips sensually. Quinn, examining his utility belt only to drop it with a yelp as soon as it shocked her. Tetch (that answered one of his questions) fearfully cowering behind a confident fully costumed Catwoman. The Joker, who sat with his back to him eating nachos and reading a Looney Tunes comicbook.  
  
Only one person was close enough to him for him to get a full view of her. Standing over him, with a crooked, demented smirk, a foot at each side of his hips, Tsukuyomi was naked, flexing her fingers. "Oh, good morning, Sunshine. Great you see you back. Now we can start!"  
  
Joker looked back over his shoulder. "Hmmm? Oh, sorry, I didn't screw my take, did I? Mr. Director, wouldn't this be a good time for an editing cut?"  


* * *

  
_Mahora:_  
  
Still reeling from the recent revelation, Asuna felt she had to sit down, but for some reason ended up sitting on the couch, mere centimeters apart from where Negi had resumed banging Arika, now grasping her sides while avoiding looking at Chisame, who had begun moving tentatively towards Eishun. "It defeats the purpose if you aren't looking, Negi," their mother sighed, "but very well, since it is your first time, let us go easy on it for now. Besides," she smiled, moving her head between Asuna's thighs, "it looks like your sister is finally willing to join us."  
  
Asuna leaned back. "You know, I know I should be raging at you, at how you're pushing my life, heck, our lives, down a disastrous path of no return. But back at Kyoto, I realized I had no place to go from here, and no idea of how to get there either."  
  
"We can supply you with all of that, my dear," her mother said eagerly, resting her sides on Asuna's flanks. The girl didn't resist her. Eyebrow raised, she met her daughter's gaze. "Well? Do you accept me?" A faint smile tilted her lips. "What's it gonna be, girl, yes or no?"  
  
It was a challenge. Asuna knew what she did with challenges. She lifted up her hands, grabbed ahold of Arika's hair and pushed the woman's face down into her core, and almost immediately gasped in yet another stunning orgasm. As she did so, Ayaka bent down from behind the couch to force her breast into Asuna's mouth. She didn't have to force her very much.  
  
It came to Asuna, then, that she was sucking the breast of her worst rival while her long-lost mother performed oral sex on her and the little brother she ... well, tolerated, had sex with the older woman.  
  
It was sick. It was wrong.  
  
It was _amazing_.  
  
Arika smiled as she licked and fingered her daughter's beautiful, almost hairless cunt. There were only a few things that were as good as introducing an almost inexperienced girl to the joys of sex with women. One of them, of course, was introducing a completely inexperienced girl to the joys of sex, period. (She should really see about bringing Theodora in on this.) Another was sex with multiple men, especially if they weren't shy around each other. (Rakan and Eishun, together on her. Oh, what a delicious thought.) And of course, the death of an enemy at one's hands after a long struggle.  
  
Only one thing was better than all of this, though, and no matter how much joy she felt as Negi drove his little cock into her, she mourned the fact that Nagi wasn't here for all of this. She was almost angry at him that it wasn't happening. The thought of sharing her daughter and his daughters with him, of having him at the same time (and possibly in the same hole) as their son ... oh, it must happen, it must. But this was still very pleasant, and from the rapidity of the strokes, Negi was finally about to --  
  
 _"Ah,"_ she sighed, feeling the release of semen into her.   
  
At the same time, Chisame stopped right before Eishun and half-closed her eyes, lowering her face. "I won't resist you if you want to."  
  
But he didn't move on her yet. As Konoka and Setsuna watched on closely, he only placed a hand, tenderly, on Chisame's cheek. "No. Not unless you really wish it. If you don't really love or desire me, there's no point on it, and you never should take these decisions lightly." It was a bit late to talk about wrong decisions, he thought then, but... well, no more bad decisions, at least. "I don't want to force you into anything you ever might regret."  
  
Chisame's voice sizzled in frustration. "Oh, men! Stop the white knight act, Mr. Ala Rubra. Do you think I'm lowering my gaze because I'm a pure and innocent shy maiden? I've been surfing the Web, looking at the worst it has to offer, since I was fresh out of elementary. And this --" She took a strong hold of his cock, making him gasp. "-- fancy words or not, this is hard from being so close to me. You know, I think I like Rakan better. At least he makes no secret of being a pervert. And Imma, well ... at least he's upfront about being gay and --"  
  
Somehow, it was that last sentence that seemed to touch a chord within Eishun. He placed his hands on Chisame's shoulders. "Young lady, I'd be thankful if you didn't --"  
  
"If I didn't what?" she challenged, snorting and giving the hard shaft a pump between her hands. His knees wobbled ever so slightly. "Just accept already that you're a perv, like Rakan and the Queenie here, or the ermine. I'm not going to take morality lessons from a man who fucked both his daughters and is about to fuck me."  
  
"Uuhhhh." Eishun offered that persuasive counter argument as she, trembling but also bristling, guided his penis towards her vagina.   
  
"After this," she said, "I'll never return to a normal life, and you know it. I am the Thousand Master's daughter, and that alone marks me forever. And all of you have put me on a path of no return. So please don't offend my intelligence trying to tempt me with a choice we all know I lack.  
  
"And yes, even so, even if I could, I wouldn't go back to those days. Satisfied? I've known that for sure ever since Zazie's sister told me ... never mind that now. I don't want to fool myself anymore. I'm tired of that crap. I'm as abnormal as they come, and you know what? I don't care anymore!  
  
"I've had sex with a vampire and my half sister and my freaking little brother, and kissed and touched with a robot, to boot! I've been inside the Internet and to a Magic World on Mars! I'm weirder than that Suzumiya weirdo! And I'll _never_ be normal again even if I tried and tried for the rest of my life!" She drew in a breath. "But that's okay, because I don't give a shit! I'm strange, and I like it!"  
  
And she pushed her hips towards his, impulsing herself on the soles of her feet, and he entered her. That made her hold a sound of mild pain. After Negi's had gone in smoothly, she hadn't expected any other to make much of a difference. True, this one was bigger, but she had guessed her thing would stretch easily to let it in, she hadn't counted on --  
  
"You didn't read the books I told you to investigate, did you," Arika said blandly from where she sat with spread legs and Ayaka and Asuna worked in tandem on her cunt, sharing sloppy kisses all the while.  
  
"S-sh-shut up!" Chisame clenched her teeth stubbornly, pushing herself further back against Eishun and making him place his calloused hands on her mammaries. With a sigh, he accepted his fate, lowered her down on the carpet, and began making love to her as only an athlete and war hero of legend can.  
  
Chisame let out a pitiful squeal as her mind was blown.  
  
Standing several feet away with a softened member that still dripped the last few traces of his arousal, Negi sighed sadly, watching his beloved being taken. So lost in contemplation and pondering he was, he failed to notice Konoka approaching until she took the small dick in her mouth and started sucking it.  
  
"Hiiiiiihhhhhhhhh!" Negi said.  
  
Konoka smiled, sucked him noisily three more times, and whispered up to him, with a wink, "Want to get even with Daddy, Negi-kun? Just let me do this, and I'll show you how to tease him very bad --"  
  
Okay, Negi thought, regardless of his personal thoughts on the subject, Eishun-sama was still his father's dear comrade and brother in battle, and no way could he harbor any animosity or thoughts of one-upping him, even if he was fucking the mother of his second child, his rooomate and valued student, who was also --  
  
But then Konoka started sucking him again, and all of that melted into the delightful sensations he was feeling now. "Yes, yes, ah, no, I mean, Konoka ... chan..." he panted, resting both hands on Konoka's scalp. Setsuna kept on staring with a mixture of arousal and terror. Eishun, while never stopping pistoning into Chisame, gained a frown and began speeding up, making sure Negi got a good view.  
  
Negi repaid him in the same coin, now moving his hips in accordance with Konoka's mouth work.  
  
Arika smiled warmly as Ayaka and Asuna's still unrefined own techniques failed to make her orgasm, the thoughts of teaching them how to improve doing it instead. It was much like rebuilding Ala Rubra, but better. Why, Negi and Eishun were reminding her SO MUCH of Nagi and Eishun in their youth now!  
  
Konoka breathed in and out, in and out, pulling her mouth back. Negi-kun's pre-cum -- she thought they called it that -- hadn't tasted any better than girl juices, so she was all too happy to move on to the next stage, but first -- "Ah! Sorry! I almost forgot to ask, Setchan, you don't mind this, do you?"  
  
"If ... if it's with Negi-sensei, I couldn't possibly ever object!" Setsuna said, much more quickly than Konoka had expected. Good.  
  
"That's great," Konoka purred happily, pulling Negi down on top of her, as she lied right besides her father and Chisame. "And you don't mind either, right? Excellent," she added, this time without waiting for a reply neither of them could supply at the moment. She opened her arms invitingly. "You know what to do, don't you, Negi-kun?"  
  
"Yes," he answered, descending on her and caressing her skin, silky and tender, before touching her vagina, testing its size and width before driving himself in with a slight grunt. "Konoka-chan."  
  
"Ahhhh," she sighed. It was much smaller than Daddy's, but the way he had started to move it, and the subdued yet unmistakable power of his pelvic thrusts, was enough to make up for that. He was more careful than Daddy, more precise, less needy and more attentive, from the way he was rubbing her breasts now.   
  
"Konoka-chan, maybe we should, I mean, I already have two, two children, I shouldn't ..." he stammered, but she only hummed and hugged him tighter. Sighing again, he surrendered to the experience and kept on pumping, while Chisame looked at his lovemaking with a quiet, morbid fascination, eventually reaching over with a hand to caress his hard buttocks. She was only distracted from that when Eishun threw his head back, growled, and unleashed his sperm within her. That caused her to shudder, but it was hardly a orgasm like those Eva and Negi had given her.  
  
A couple minutes later, as Eishun pulled out of Chisame with some token soothing words she really didn't pay attention to, Negi tensed up much like the man had. "Konoka-chan! I'm, I'm going to --!"  
  
"Yes! Yes yes yes Negi-kun yes!" Konoka giggled, in a disturbingly Tsukuyomi-esque way, pushing herself against him. "Give it, to me, Negi-kun! As much as you can!"  
  
It was rude to disobey a lady, so Negi closed his eyes, nodded, squeezed her chest, and pumped one last time, shooting inside his fifth student. "Konoka-chan!"  
  
"Negiiiiii ..." Konoka drooled, making sure to roll her eyes towards her cryptically staring father. He seemed hard again from the show, too. Not from looking at Negi, she hoped, but you never knew anymore.  
  
Setsuna rushed to her side as Negi spoke of how nice and great she was, taking her mistress' hand and crushing it to her chest. "Ojou-ah-Kono-chan! Are you okay?"  
  
Konoka smiled goofily and gave her a thumbs up with one hand while the one at Setsuna's bosom twitched to feel her up. "Just great, Oneechan. He's as good as Daddy, if not better! Want your turn now? If he's as strong at this as he's at fighting, I'm sure he can do all of us!"  
  
Setsuna blushed. "What --? Meeeeeee?!"  
  
"Sorry," another voice said then, "But you'll have to wait your turn. Family goes first."  
  
They all looked over to see Asuna now standing right before the sitting, perplexed Negi, almost thrusting her crotch on his face, her hands on her hips. "This is what you wanted, isn't it, pervy brat? You and our pervy Mom. Well, now I'm here, the least you can do is making your pervy oneechan feel welcome and loved, right?"  
  
"Yes. Loved. Oneechan," Negi nodded with a strange cadence, right before planting his lips on Asuna's vulva and beginning suction and licking, much to Ayaka's livid mixture of horror, outrage, and renewed arousal. Chisame experienced a similar combination of emotions as she sat back, with Konoka sliding behind her to lick at her left breast, inviting Setsuna with hand motions to do the same with the right one. Setsuna, always the dutiful, obeyed as well as she could.  
  
Arika cooed lovingly at the sight, using Chisame's cellphone to take pictures like Chamo and Hakase had taught her. "Oh, I am so happy! My two dear children, truly together at last!" And she smiled sultrily at Eishun. "Won't you share my happiness, my Knight?"  
  
Being propositioned by his best friend's wife was the least sinful experience Konoe Eishun had lived through the last few days. So he could only nod and move towards her, catching Arika in his strong arms and beginning to kiss her.  
  
After all, had their roles been reversed, Nagi wouldn't have hesitated. Probably.  


* * *

_Gotham:_

"I lost the signal, Alfred," the colorfully clad youngster said while swinging behind buildings, from one rope to another, his cape flapping behind him. "I didn't get a good reading on Bruce's current position, either. His last certain location was the bridge where they found the stolen Arkham van. I'll call Barbara and comb the city for him."  
  
"Please be careful, Master Richard," the old man's voice coming through the tiny intercom built into his mask told him, English aplomb and dramatic training hiding his concern far too well. "I'll contact Master Bruce's associates in the League immediately. Don't endanger yourself until their arrival."  
  
He forced a brave chuckle. "C'mon, just because they took Bruce, it doesn't mean they'll take me as well. It was just a stroke of luck. It happens at times. Joker no doubt just has him tied to another giant typewriter, waiting for me to make it a double whammy. I bet you he hasn't even taken his mask off this time either."  
  
"Master Richard." The stern tone in Pennyworth's voice was unmistakable now.  
  
He sighed, stopping at a rooftop. "Brooding over it won't fix anything, Alfred. Until I get a solid lead, all I can do is keep a positive attitude and trust Batman to keep himself alive. If it's a villain team-up, odds are they won't be able to agree on who gets to hurt him first. Everything will turn out fine, Alfred. He's the ultimate survivor."  
  
"I know. But it isn't his physical survival that concerns me, actually."  
  
Dick Grayson had no answer for that. He knew all too well how Joker was more interested in torturing and driving Bruce insane than about killing him, or even learning his secret identity. That didn't seem to matter for him. Still, every encounter, every clash, was a blow to Bruce's sometimes tenuous grasp on sanity.  
  
All Robin could do, in truth, was act fast and hope to save his mentor before he was made to fall permanently.  
  
What kind of unspeakable grotesquerie could he be subjected to now? The sole upside was, so shortly after an escape, Joker and his accomplices couldn't possibly have prepared anything too out there for him...

* * *

 

The Joker mused with a hand on his long, pointy chin. "You know, having a personality that rewrites itself periodically can be a bummer at times ... although I didn't think that yesterday. I know I should be angry about this, or at least mildly murderously frustrated. Batsy here is mine, my toy to keep and play with, and although I sort of actually like you, Yomi, I'm not sure I can approve of this at all."  
  
"So many scars..." Tsukuyomi sighed as her hands roamed up and down that muscular body, making the man under her clench his teeth. "All over you, so much like Eishun-sama ..."  
  
Of course she had spied on him in the baths when she lived under his roof!  
  
Wouldn't you?  
  
Joker sighed, with a mildly exasperated, darkly whimsical air. "But hey, the heart and the body are different parcels, aren't they?" He reached over to pull on one of Harley's cheeks. The ones on her face, that is. In this kind of story, it's important to be clear. "That's why I can turn a magnanimous blind eye to Harl here foolin' around with Reddy Poisonous."  
  
Harley laughed very stiffly as Ivy sneered. "Oh, Puddin', you're always so considerate!"  
  
"Quiet, you." He pushed her against a wall without even looking at her. His eyes, under furrowed green eyebrows,  were busily analyzing the way Tsukuyomi caressed a long old scar right above the fresh, bleeding gap Yomi herself had given the Bat last night, the one that had reopened itself now. "Hey, that one there is mine. The trap at the Finger Warehouse, with the meat hook ... not my best material, I'll admit it, but all the same, don't you dare touc it..."  
  
"I think I prefer mine," the girl hummed sweetly, then applied her lips to the fresh gap, licking it up and down. "Hmmmm. Now this does get me hot and twitter-pated ... you guys sure you mind if I cut him some more?"  
  
"DON'T!" Joker, Ivy, Harley, Hatter, and even Catwoman all shouted at once.  
  
"Oh, poo," the girl pouted, setting herself over his lap, and slowly squatting down on it. "You selfish spoilsports. I'd only ask for an arm or leg! But fine, I'll be nice and settle for another body part instead ..."  
  
He tried to push her off himself with strong motions of his body, but that only seemed to yield penetration attempts as a result. Damn his arms and legs, strapped down by thick metal bands that limited his movements so much. Damn whatever they had injected into him, which was clouding his mind so much, making him feel feverish, confused, dazed. Making his body feel so hard, and his member so hard. He felt nothing but disgust and rage, at that kind of perverse, twisted mania he had always battled, and yet, his body reacted to contact with hers, with the softness of her skin. She smiled down at him, like an angelic vision. His tip touched her entrance. He closed his eyes. No. _No_. No. NO. NO! **NO!**  
  
And then he was entering her, not without difficulty, as she tossed her long hair back, cackled a giggle, and rubbed her fingernails against his nipples.  
  
Joker was frowning deeply, toying with a knife.  


* * *

  
"I think this little boy is ready to be hugged by his oneesan," Asuna said, allowing Negi's mouth to pull away from her vagina, by now thoroughly wet, and fingering his already very hard little member. It was so small compared to Eishun-sama's that she doubted she would feel anything, but still, she was already that far gone, and so was he, and maybe if they did this Mom would stop pestering her, and what the heck, maybe he was kinda cute after all. She lay on her back on the carpet and spread her arms and legs. "Take me, Negi."  
  
"Yes," he panted, with far less hesitation than she had expected, his earlier doubts replaced by a shaky nervousness he couldn't quite control or master. He positioned himself above her hips, grabbed her waist with both hands, and slowly pushed himself in. It felt a little more intrusive than she had thought, because she was still very tight, and he felt thicker than he looked despite its lack of length. "Asuna-neechan," he breathed deeply, beginning to move in carefully.  
  
Damn, it did feel good after all.  
  
Asuna caught a glimpse of her mother, who was resting face first against the couch as Eishun-sama took her energetically from behind. It was actually a very powerful, majestic and erotic sight, although slightly ... not messed up, but ... okay, yes, messed up by Konoka kneeling down behind her father, sucking and licking on his testicles as he thrusted in and out of his comrade's wife. Then Konoka, after a few licks and noisy slurps, moved her tongue up, sliding it between the man's buttocks, and began kissing his ... _Eeeewwww!_ Sometimes Kono-chan was weird.  
  
Looking to the other side, Asuna could see Chisame and Setsuna sitting back to back, resting and, in Chisame's case, lightly napping. So that accounted for everyone else there, except ...  
  
Then Ayaka's lower quarters dropped on her face. "Negi-sensei," Ayaka huskily purred. "You're such a paragon of strong virility!" She began kissing him, and he kissed back, all the while pumping into Asuna.  
  
Asuna tried to protest against this unasked-for interruption, to yell she didn't want to lick Ayaka as if she was her sex slave or worse, sex buddy, but then the blonde further mashed her sex down against Asuna's face, and the redhead reluctantly complied. After a few licks, however, she wondered about something, so she moved her mouth up to kiss the pink rosebud of Ayaka's anus.  
  
 _EEEEEWWWWWW!_ Truly, Kono-chan WAS weird!  
  
Then she heard a groan of Negi's, and felt a warm splash going deep inside of her, and her skin crawled and her toes curled up in a lighter orgasm than the ones she had with Eishun and the prissy girl whose butthole she was still licking for some reason.  
  
Luckily it was still one of her safe days!  
  
Right?  


* * *

 

"They have been doing it for a long while," Ayaka observed quietly, and yet the sharp edge in her voice was unmistakable as she looked in the general direction of Negi and Setsuna.

"Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods, Negi-sensei!" the bird tribe girl panted as her hands clawed at the floor, Negi holding her legs high while ramming his boyhood into her over and over. Her loose hair swung wildly all around with his thrusts.  
  
"It can't be helped," Arika replied, sitting cross legged on the couch, absently flipping through the TV channels. Ayaka was sitting besides her, both still quite naked. Eishun had already left for his quarters, and Konoka and Chisame slept on Konoka's bunk, loosely hugging each other and occasionally muttering other people's names. "Gifted with great endurance as he is, my son is still inexperienced, and he already ejaculated ... four times, I believe, this night, before this. Let your classmate enjoy herself as well."  
  
Ayaka frowned and finished rehydrating from her bottled water. "I have nothing against Sakurazaki-san, but I don't think this was a necessary step for our group communion."  
  
"I, I'm sorry, Ayaka, but I thought, it would be unfair, for her to be the only one... to ... not ...!" Negi gasped, squeezing his eyes shut and working towards climax.  
  
Asuna chuckled, sitting on the floor between Ayaka and Arika's legs and feet, wearing nothing but a towel loosely wrapped around her shoulders. "If you're so jealous, why not pay him back in the same coin? I gave shota a try, so you should have matched me and tasted the wonders of a mature man. Eishun-sama would have been willing."  
  
Her rival sneered. "No, thanks. I will never be with another man but Negi-sensei."  
  
"Oh, so us apes are fair enough game for the princess of finances!" Asuna laughed.  
  
"What can I say? I've always been nice to animals!" At Arika's discreet yet firm clearing of the throat, she hastily added, "No offense to your otherwise glorious family, of course."  
  
"Senseiiiiiiiiii!" Setsuna wailed, rocking her hips a few times. With a sigh of relief, Negi tensed up in a way that told the others he finally had let himself go as well.  
  
"You need to start pull out," Asuna observed. "Stupid brat, how many times do you want to make me an aunt?"  
  
He breathed deeply, falling back on his butt. "Ahhh, ahhhh, sorry, Asuna. It just felt so good, I forgot again ..."  
  
"It doesn't matter," Setsuna said softly, lying back and staring at the ceiling. "I'm a hybrid, and it was only by a miracle that I could be born in the first place. Nature won't be generous enough to allow me motherhood, most especially not with a human being."  
  
"You are a human being, Setsuna," Negi half-chided her. "A wonderful human being."  
  
"Damn right," Asuna nodded.   
  
"Additionally, who says miracles cannot happen twice?" Arika asked. She stood up and walked towards Setsuna, crouching down next to her. "Let me see, please," she said, and before any confirmation could be voiced, she touched Setsuna's lower belly, concentrated, and tensed up just as suddenly. "Oh my."  
  
"W-What?! What is it?!" the swordsgirl grew alarmed, and so did the others.  
  
"It's nothing bad, actually ..." Arika said slowly. "It's just ... I would have prefered for your child to be Negi's, rather than Eishun's."  
  
Setsuna squealed loudly, then fainted.  
  
"AH! SETSUNA-SAN!" Negi and Asuna cried.  
  
Chisame lifted her head from the pillow and yelled from the next room, "Keep it low an' lemme sleep here!"  
  
"... Yomi-chan ..." Konoka murmured from her slightly deeper sleep.  
  
After her own moment of shock, Ayaka looked at Arika. "Are you sure I'm not yet --?"  
  
"I told you already, no, not yet," Arika said, dearly holding to her patience.  
  
Ayaka looked back at Negi, who desperately trying to revive Setsuna with Asuna's help. "Negi-sensei! Let us try again!"  
  
"NOT THE TIME FOR THAT AT ALL, IINCHOU!" Asuna growled.

* * *

 

The Joker began pacing around while playing with his knife.  
  
"I suppose," he said, as Tsukuyomi giggled and rode the Bat, whipping her hair around in all directions, "this could be seen as a deep examination and parable on the decaying nature of crime in our era. Here we are, the old guard, some of the finest classics, standing by watching how the new blood rapes the forces of order, perfectly represented by Batman here. Is this a message for us, as well, to adapt, to cope with the new times by adopting these barbaric customs? After all, crime and mania are flowing and ever changing, owing to their ... heck, our ... chaotic nature! Maybe this little snot-eating pervy whippersnapper is actually teaching us the path of the future!" he fervently declared, shaking a gloved fist. "Orrrrrrr maybe we should just kill her. Or both. Not that it matters, but what do you think, Harl?"  
  
A few raspy pants were his answer, and he whipped his head around to look at Harley, Ivy and Catwoman all sneaking their hands within their clothes, touching themselves as they witnessed the smaller girl pushing herself up with her feet, then falling back on the engorged manhood, then repeating the proccess.  
  
"..." Joker said. Next, he looked at Mad Hatter, who sat writing feverishly in a black notebook, eyes nailed to the lurid scene. The Clown Prince of Crime snatched the notebook away from him and smacked him across the head with it. "Honestly, Hats!"  
  
The shorter criminal whined. "B-Buh-But it's necessary observation for the sake of science!"  
  
"Science my white peerless butt!" Joker snarled. "You know what's science? E, which stands for Extermination, equals M, which stands for Murder, and C, that is Crime, twofold! That's science, you nitwit!" He tossed the notebook back on Hatter's face and then stomped towards Tsukuyomi, knife ready. "I hope you've enjoyed that, Sweetie, because we never agreed on this, and when Joker disagrees with you, playtime's--!"  
  
"Ahhhhh-hhhhhh," Tsukuyomi cooed, shooting an arm behind herself without even looking back, grabbing the clown's wrist and twisting it cruelly, forcing him to drop the knife with a girlish shriek. "Yes. Yes. Thank you, Joker-sama, this is just what I needed, ahhhhhhh!" She ground herself harder against the man under her, closed her eyes, and shuddered.   
  
Despite everything, despite the sordid nature of her chosen path, despite the amoral underworlds through which she traveled, she was not actually promiscuous. She derived far more pleasure from being in communion with her blade, along the merry road of the killer. This, however, was a special occasion, much like it had been when she was broken by her teacher. Now the tables turned, and she had just, she fully realized that as she felt the thick liquid spraying into her, violated justice itself -- dark justice, yes, but justice and order all the same, a symbol for many, including all those looking at her now. Well, that, and all those scars had excited her, too. Maybe she should have taken that Zsasz fellow in the asylum. Perhaps another day.  
  
For the cherry on top, the terrifying Joker was whimpering as he nursed his sprained wrist, trembling in outraged impotence behind her. "Why, you little --! Isn't it enough, taking my Batman? This is my favorite stabbing hand! Harley!"  
  
His henchgirl looked aside and pouted, pulling her hands, glistening with her secretions, behind her back. "You deserved that one, Puddin'. I hate it when you ignore me over that big scary although admittedly sexy Bat!"  
  
"Well, he's so difficult to ignore ..." Poison Ivy licked her own lips obscenely.  
  
"Surrounded by horny traitors and Philistines!" Joker muttered. "Don't you agree, Bats?"  
  
"Hannnhhh -- hnnnhhhh ... hahhhhhh!" the Bat said, as Tsukuyomi dismounted him.  
  
Joker shot Hatter another vicious glare. "I swear it, if those wacko infusions of yours broke my favorite boytoy, Hats, I'm so tossing you into Croc's pit! Piece by piece!"  
  
The Carroll-inspired madman backed away. "My word! But, but you tossed toxins of your own into the tea! You are as guilty as me or Miss Isley!"  
  
"I'll decide what I'm guilty or not of, Mr. Smartyhats! I oughta --" He stared at Catwoman as she walked past him, peeling her tight clothes off and letting them drop in her wake. She had been wearing nothing underneath. "Oh boy. Homina. Homina. Homina!"  
  
Harley punched him in the head.   
  
He punched her back.  
  
Ivy sighed, pulling her green one piece off herself as well. Large round breasts came free, greenish nipples standing proudly and pointy. "Get a room, you two. It's time for us big girls to step in. And oh, how long I have wished for this ..."

* * *

"Your lips ... poison ..." He tried to pull his head aside as the nature goddess knelt in the nude next to him, gently tickling the top of his cowl with her long finger nails. "... no ..."  
  
Once again, the Tibetan mind techniques, the years of effortless self-discipline, the experience against dozens of torturers, mind controllers, poisoners and The Scarecrow were not working, and all he could feel was a cloudy dizziness, and through that, a burning primal desire for the warm woman mounting him, letting him enter her. The husky words of the other, equally voluptuous, woman whispering into his ear only added fuel to that fire.   
  
"Don't be silly, Batman," Poison Ivy whispered playfully, as Selina Kyle settled herself on top of his crotch, massaging his reproductive organ back to stiffness. "I would never kill you this early in the game. Once, I might have, but you have proved yourself so worthy of so much more. You won't die tonight, see?" she said, running a nail over an inflated but fresh injection mark on his arm. "I gave you this shot, among many others, hours ago, while you slept, sweet baby. I'm glad to see it isn't that swollen now. It means that it worked."  
  
"What if it hadn't worked?" Hatter asked, back to taking notes as Tsukuyomi slowly approached him from behind, and Joker and Harley wrestled viciously in the corner, ripping each other's clothes off.  
  
Ivy smiled at him. "It's pointless to wonder that now." And she kissed those rough, dry lips, then licked the sweat running down the square chin. "Hmmm-hmmmmm."  
  
Catwoman, his enemy, his rival, his longtime object of desire, one of the few women who had ever come close to matching the spark of his mission in his heart, bounced on him now, her large breasts swinging up and down with his thrusts. It all was lost, but that mattered little to nothing now, even though he knew it should matter the world to him. He had to be strong, for Dick, for Alfred, for Barbara, even for Selina herself and Talia ...  
  
Tsukuyomi came right behind Mad Hatter and covered his eyes with her hands. "Hatter-sama. Drop that boring research and let me be your Alice, if just for tonight."  
  
He let out a strangled, almost feminine, shrill cry. "W-What?! NO! I, I am only a poor Hatter, and you aren't my Alice, only my Alice could --!"  
  
She giggled harshly, madly, pulling him back with her. With insane people -- not that she knew a lot about those, being such a perfectly rational and sane business girl -- she had learned that you sometimes had to make exceptions and hurt what was left of their minds instead of their bodies. Madmen rarely cared about their own flesh, but if you found the challenging tiny vulnerable spots in their armor of lunacy, crack them down, and you could derive almost as much pleasure as you could from stabbing a worthy opponent on the battlefield. _Almost_.  
  
He was very short, barely taller than her, and naturally much weaker. It hardly took her any effort to secure him in her arms and beginning kissing him cruelly, biting on his mouth as he fruitlessly tried to squirm free. She caught a glance of Joker-sama, with his pants around his ankles, humping Harley-han against the wall, with brutal ferocity, still clawing her last few scraps of cloth off her body. She saw the Catwoman shuddering in ecstasy above the dark avenger she loved, consummating their unholy union -- thanks to them! -- while Ivy-han kissed his mouth and strong jaw.   
  
Sometimes, Tsukuyomi liked playing Cupid. Mostly, she made likable fellows date Death-sama, but this was good too. Maybe she should try to be less direct and more torturously subtle, from time to time, she reflected as she tugged on the whimpering Hatter-sama's pants down and began throttling what she laughingly thought of as his manhood, while he cried like a child. There was a different but almost as likable kind of dark thrill to this.  
  
It almost felt like killing.  
  
She would have to introduce her Oneesama and Hime-sama to these concepts. Maybe while they still lived, even!  


* * *

 

_Mahora:_  
  
Trapped in a world he never made.  
  
A few times, during his exploits through the superhero community, the man whom The Avenger had once been had run into a talking, chain smoking alien duck who was fond of using that phrase to describe his plight. Incidentally, the duck also was one of the five most skilled martial artists Avenger had ever fought in his prior life, along with Lady Shiva, Saotome Ranma, Bronze Tiger and Iron Fist.  
  
Now he finally understood how Howard felt.  
  
The child claiming to be his Master had promised she'd try finding an acceptable way to allow him remain in this world after the Holy Grail War, assuming this was an actual Grail War to begin with. In the meanwhile, Avenger was powerless to do anything about it. Even his lines of contact with Barbara and the Justice League were not working, although in truth, he actually prefered it that way. He had been offered a place to stay with Ala Alba, but he had not accepted it yet. Mostly, he didn't want to spend any time near Konoka's classmate and clubmate Miyazaki Nodoka, who, from his suppositions, might have a mind reading Artifact, just like the Miyazaki Nodoka he had once met in Kyoto. And unlike that one, he wasn't sure he could trust this one with his secrets.  
  
By now, from his observations, from infiltrating the local Library Island and the sites of social reunion of this Mahora, from looking at their newspapers and listening to their gossip from the safery of his invisibility, he had gathered he was in a very similar, yet clearly different universe than the one he had once been born into. But some things never changed no matter the world. Like crime, and the darkest human ambitions. And desire.  
  
It seemed obvious, from the way his Master, her father and Sakurazaki were acting, that they were hiding something highly serious and shameful from the rest of the Kansai Association. Seeing how that group professed to follow deepy traditional conventional values, even if only on the surface, he suspected the three might be up to moral debauchery, something to which precocious teenagers often surrendered themelves when their hormones awakened, which was one of the reasons why he had Titans Tower bugged. The reasons why the respected Kansai Elder might fall with them down that abyss were less clear, but even in his universe, those related to Ala Rubra tended to be of laxer morals than the norm, which was one of the reasons why he had infiltrated a certain cabin along his patrol route.  


* * *

  
  
Chachamaru felt with her electronic detection senses under the bed of her sleeping Master, picked up the diminutive black device hidden there, and softly crushed it between her fingers.  
  
She sighed to herself. When had Batman-sama set that one? She thought she had disposed of them all after Kyoto.  


* * *

  
  
For now, while he decided his next move, he did what he did best. Prowling the nights of the city, watching over those attempting to cash in on the chaos wrought by the recent mass demon attack. With most public relief and security enforcers focused on the Academy, the streets of the city itself were prime to be an easy prey for the common criminal element. So he was serving as the city's temporary guardian angel as he made his way over the rooftops to the morgue, where he would check on the latest entries and see if there were any victims of violence whose murderers had not been caught yet.  
  
Suddenly, sounds of struggle coming from an alley down below. His eyes narrowed as he looked that way, and saw a large balding man in a salaryman suit harassing a girl in a Mahora Junior High uniform, a slim one with short bright red hair.  
  
"I'm telling you," she was saying, trying to shake his hand off her wrist, "I'm not doing that! And I'm not giving you anything back, either! I never agreed to give you anything in trade!"  
  
He was wobbling on his feet, weakly. Only a few more pushes and he'd go away muttering and whining. Yuuki Nao knew his type all too well. Ryo wasn't the kind to get actually violent; he was way too lacking in the way of a spine to even dare. He was only bluffing, no doubt the same way he did with his wifey at home.   
  
"C'mon, Nao-chan ..." his voice was as blubbery and erratic as his motions, "It's dangerous right now, see, to be at that school, don't you think? Much better if you stay with me f'r the night, safe an' warm. I know a place that asks no questions, and Mari thinks I'm in Osaka, doin' ..."  
  
Then something yanked him from behind and into the shadows, making him let go of Nao's hand, the fat man screaming like a girl. The actual girl hopped two steps back but didn't run, instead balling her fists up. The street gangs this side of the city were mostly pussies who liked bragging, but only laughed it off and let her go with a slap on the butt if she just reaffirmed her 'spunk' with a good jab in the face. Creeps liked that sort of thing, and by now --  
  
Then she breathed out in a nearly shrill tone, as something she had never expected to see walked out of the darkness, dropping the unconscious Ryo at her feet.  
  
 _ **"Go call the police,**_ " that huge thing, some sort of demon, told her, with a deep, powerful voice.  
  
She tensed up, and shook the ridiculous ideas out of her head. No, that couldn't be it. Demons and the like didn't exist. She had heard a thing or two about some nutjob in America who played Robin Hood with a mask and costume. This had to be a Japanese knockoff. Damn good armored costume, though. How did he move in that thing? He had to be strong as hell ...  
  
"Call them yourself," she challenged, although she was pretty sure, demon or not, her fists wouldn't do anything if that guy grew angry at her.  
  
 _ **"I don't want to see you out at these hours again. Next time I catch you doing this, I'm taking you down, too,"**_ the weird monster guy warned, with an air of authority even Nao had to inwardly admit was pants-wetting intimidating. But she was young and foolish, and she felt like taking on the whole world.  
  
"That's if you can, freak!"  
  
He grumbled in a low, feral tone that made her shudder despite herself, and then pulled out some sort of gun out of his belt's pouches. Okay, now that was cause for alarm. In the still relatively safe urban enviornment of Japan, she had never ran into anyone who actually could pull a piece out on her.  
  
 ** _"Go home,"_ ** the weird giant monster growled, and shot a very long line of cable with a grappling hook attached to it, which quickly pulled him up into a nearby rooftop and out of sight. He could have just vanished from sight, actually, but for the old times' sake, it felt better, making his exit that way.  
  
Nao remained fixed, standing where she was, looking up at that rooftop with widened eyes full of a wonder she had lost long ago, even if expressed in a much darker way now.  
  
"Wow," she breathed out. "Finally, an interesting man, and turns out to be a basket case ..."  
  
Ryo stirred groggily. Absently, without looking down at him, she kicked his head back down.  
  
Then she heard a soft, almost childlike, voice coming from the other end of the alley, except that she wasn't really hearing it, more like it was being somehow imposed upon her thoughts. Maybe she had been drugged while she wasn't looking, she thought, spinning around to stare at the second weirdest thing she had seen that night. It was the only reason that could explain why she aws having all those hallucinations now of all times. She only hoped Ryo wasn't raping her as she imagined that she was looking at some sort of strange white cat with pink eyes and a fixed doll-like expression.  
  
 _Do you wish for that kind of power?_ it asked. _It can be yours, yours to do anything you want with it, if you would only make a Contract with me and become a Magical Girl ..._  


* * *

  
  
_Gotham:_  
  
He was having sex with Poison Ivy now, which, added to the dreamlike nature and feel of the whole affair, probably meant he was only having a chemically induced nightmare, and had been ever since he 'woke up'. He held to that hope, despite how a part of his mind stubbornly refused to think of it as a bad dream. It was the same primal, base part that actually enjoyed the sight of the nude redhead bouncing on his lap, as Harley Quinn licked one of her breasts from behind, and Catwoman did the same with the other.  
  
Mad Hatter was crouched at a corner, hugging his knees and softly weeping to himself, while a naked Joker had an equally nude Tsukuyomi on the table, on top of her, both throttling each other as they matched identical sadistic grins, and they copulated making gagged strings of obscene inarticulate sounds and profanities. At some point, Joker thew his head back and stiffened his shoulders, releasing inside of the girl, who kicked her soles against his sides. This wasn't adding up, unless they had drugged Joker as well (highly doubtful, considering his acquired endurance to chemicals) or this was the latest twist to his mania. He had been always a Thanatos, not an Eros. The Arkham reports talked at length of how his sexual urges and drives, if he'd ever had them, had been replaced by equally intense desires to hurt, maim and torture. Was this, after all, a dream?  
  
"I know what are you wondering," Ivy cooed, her fingers playing with the sides of his mask, almost pulling it off at times. "You're wondering, have we looked underneath? Well ... ahhhh ... maybe we have, maybe we haven't. Does it matter? We won't tell you. It's ... it's more romantic this way, don't, don't you think? Ah. It's been so long ..."  
  
"Maybe you should stop poisoning them first, Red," Harley said, her kisses going up her partner in crime's neck, then running along her chin and lower lip. "What, what do you say about a three way with Puddin'? I, I'll even let you have him for a while, just like that little sword bitch. I'm, I'm so horny I don't care anymore, as long as I get --"  
  
"Nnnnnghhhh." Ivy clenched her teeth, then rolled off him. "There. That was good. But he hasn't come yet, so why don't you finish him, Harl?"  
  
"M-Me? Oh, but, why, Puddin' is right there, and--!"  
  
Ivy snarled and slapped her ass. "Oh come on, you just said you don't care as long as you get some, didn't you? Don't try telling me you haven't ever dreamed of this ..."  
  
"But --!" the blonde helplessly whined, looking back at her man, who was holding Tsukuyomi against his side, then pushing her aside.  
  
"Let's go," Joker said with a ferocious glint in his eyes. "As long as it's with Batsy, I couldn't be any happier."  
  
"Those are the joys of netorare!" Tsukuyomi supplied with a wide grin, actually enjoying the rough treatment.   
  
"Neto-wha? Um ... well ... if ya say so, Mistah J ..." Harley agreed, perhaps a tad too quickly, setting herself where Isley had just been, while Ivy made Catwoman lick her crotch and the white leftovers on it. Quinn played with the member as Joker placed herself behind her, stroking himself, until he slowly entered her rear exit, hands on her hips. Harley hissed, and thinking Batman to be hard enough already, slid his manhood inside of her vagina, blinking at how much it stuffed her. It was so much bigger and thicker than the one drilling her from behind ... not that it mattered when compared to true love, of course, but --!  
  
"Yes, yes, what a dream come true!" Joker evilly stared at Batman's eyes over Harley's shoulders, as they pistoned into the same woman, a strange, nightmarish new link added to their relationship. The Batman growled animalistically and pumped harder against the woman, who shuddered with a strong moan. "Oh. A competition now, huh? Well, you know I love those!" And he roughly squeezed her breasts from behind. "Let's tango, Bats!"  
  
Waiting outside the locked room, playing poker and sharing cigarettes, except for Humpty, who just sat there lost in his own world, the Wonderland Gang shuddered and trembled at the violent, deranged sounds coming from the inside. The deranged cackles, the groans, Quinn's high pitched yells of pleasure, the Hatter's sobbing, meowings, and then, for some reason, Joker's long drawn moans of disturbing delight as the noise of flesh slapping flesh intensified maddeningly. "Yes, yes, like that, like that, Bats!"  
  
"... I really ought to find a better line of work," mused the Carpenter, hands over her eyes.  
  
Bruce Wayne squeezed his eyes shut and tried not to think of the creature sitting on his lap now, long after both of them had ejaculated into Quinn. He tried to ignore what this meant, what it implied for any future he might have. He was teetering on the edge of the ultimate fall, the final push for his sanity. But even now, he couldn't let them win, no where it mattered, even if they had his body to torture and claim as theirs, they never would have the satisfaction of turning him into one of them, and once he broke free --  
  
That was when he lost track of absolutely everything, with his final climax, including awareness of himself.  
  
And then, apparently immediately, he woke up.  
  
He was lying on his stomach and face, on a grassy hillside near Westward Bridge. His whole body ached and felt sore, but he was well used to physical pain, and pushed it aside while pushing himself back up, on his gloved hands. He had his full costume on, and he was alone. Judging from the sky, the temperature, and the breeze rate around him, he estimated that nightfall was only a hour away. Assuming they hadn't kept him drugged and imprisoned for several days, at least twenty hours had passed since the assault at Arkham Asylum.  
  
He had been dumped in an old abandoned lot, which explained why no one had found him yet. The lot used to belong to an old associate of Joker who was serving two life sentences in Blackgate now. He checked on his utility belt. Everything was there, except what he had kept in the small lead-lined compartiment.  
  
Damn. That, of all things, missing.  
  
He still felt dizzy and nauseous, unsure whether he had hallucinated the whole debacle or not. Part of him remembered struggling loose in the truck taking them away from Arkham, and punching his way to the back door, but after that, nothing, except the memories of his time being ... violated. Had he leapt free, then crawled there to hallucinate from whatever they might have injected him with? Or was the escape just an illusion they had planted in his mind to confuse him?   
  
Staggering, vomiting a few steps into the stagger, then he straightened and kept on marching ahead. Nothing seemed to add up anymore. The only thing he could say for sure was he had been drugged and his Kryptonite ring been stolen. He still had more of the original sample stolen from Luthor in the cave, but even that small ring could be lethal in Joker's hands. He had to warn Clark.  
  
Somehow, he made his way to the Manor's gates in less than an hour. Or so he thought. His sense of time still was erratic at best. He bashed his fists against the door, and quite quickly, his manservant, his friend, his second father, opened for him. "Master Bruce, my word! Thank heavens you are alive and well! Master Dick and Miss Gordon have been combing the city for you! The police squad they sent to Arkham reported --"  
  
"Tell them to stop looking, Alfred," he wheezed, walking past him on jelly legs. "I ... I'm fine. I just need some sleep, right after ..." He rolled a sleeve up. "... after a complete blood test, wake me up when it's complete ..."  
  
"Whatever happened to you, Master Bruce?" he placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'll call Doctor Thompkins, and perhaps --"  
  
"I said I'm fine! I haven't died yet, have I?!" he lashed out, more fiercely than he had intended to. Right afterwards, icy guilt and shame washed over him. What had happened to him? He only could hope he would feel more at command of himself after ... "Alfred ... I'm sorry, I ... I just have been under too much pressure over the last few hours ..."  
  
"I understand, Sir," the older man told him calmly, reaching for the well supplied first aids kit he always kept at hand during his disappearances. He sank a needle into his arm and began taking the sample. "Rest well. You will need to be at the top of your capacities for your rematch."  
  
"Yesssss," he hissed as his eyes narrowed. Dream or not, not that he dared hoping for the later, he found he was oddly looking forward to facing them again. In a way. He would have to find out exactly how much they knew, what had they done to him, and then he would grab them, and show them the errors of their ways, punish them and take them, and breaking them just like they had done to --  
  
No. _No!_ He still was having those visions. He truly needed to rest, to conjure the nightmares away. If he ever could.  
  
Alfred Pennyworth frowned thoughtfully. For his Master to be so adamant on resting while there was so much to be done, he truly had to be under the weight of a great ordeal. He sounded like he was barely holding himself together.  
  
Who knew what kind of dark dreary events had been plaguing him over the last few hours? Still, he was all but sure he wouldn't get any answers if he asked right now.  
  
Asking the darkness was always a gamble, with no clear guarantees of replies. Much less soothing ones.  


* * *

  
  
_Mahora:_  
  
She rose to greet the new day, stretching and yawning cutely. "Chachamaru?" she said. "Is my breakfast ready yet?"  
  
"Yes, Master," the robot maid said, walking into the bedroom, with a strange air of uneasiness about her. "However ... I know you dislike being disturbed before breakfast, but ..."  
  
Eva scowled. "What does Boya want this time?"  
  
"It's not him, Master, it's actually ... well ..." she said, holding a mortified looking Chamo up.  
  
"Heh heh heh. Good morning there, Eva-sama," the ermine sheepishly said. "Um, I'm really, really sorry about disturbing you at this hour, but ..."  
  
"Sorry? Oh, no, you aren't sorry yet," the Maga Nosferatu grinned with an expression completely devoid of any good humor, flexing her fingers. "But you will be soon enough."  
  
"EEEEEKKKKK! No, no, I mean it! It's just, well, I was thinking over this all night along, and and and I realized you're the only one who can fully answer the questions I have! Regarding Aniki's future!"  
  
Eva's mouth went back to a frown. "What has gone wrong with Boya now?"  
  
"W-w-well, I was hoping you could tell me, so --"  
  
She yanked him from Chachamaru's hand and squeezed his body until his eyes popped up from their sockets. "Stop stalling, vermin! What do you have to tell me before you die?!"  
  
Chamo struggled desperately for air before letting out a highly troubled, in more than one sense,  squeal, "I, I am an expert on Pactio cards myself, but --! But I ... need your superior expertise on a ... thing that has happened very recently!"  


* * *

  
**Next:** Evangeline.


	11. Period Ten: Evangeline

 

###  **The following is a work of fiction absolutely not for those who are underage or sensitive to strong erotica imagery.**

_Mahou Sensei Negima_  and all related elements and characters belong to Kodansha and Akamatsu Ken.

_Mai Hime_  and all related elements and characters belong to Sunrise.

  _Fate Stay Night_  and all related elements and characters belong to Type-Moon and Kinoko Nasu.

  _The Melancholy of Suzumiya Haruhi_  and all related elements and characters belong to Tanigawa Nagaru and Kadokawa Shoten.

_Batman_  and all related elements and characters belong to DC Comics and Time Warner Entertainment.

_Queen's Blade_ and all related elements and characters belong to Hobby Japan and Lost Works.

 All other characters and elements mentioned here belong to their respective copyright owners. I am not one of them.

 Thanks to Darkenning for his authorization, polishing and proofreading, and for graciously writing the bulk of the Satomi/Sakurako lemon scene, partially inspired by the doujinshi of the Gambler Club circle.

 I make no money at all out of any of this.

* * *

 

**DECADENT HABITS.**

* * *

  

**Period Ten: Evangeline.**

* * *

  
Normally, this would be the starting point, where I would set up the rest of the chapter by telling you of a much earlier moment, or series of moments, in the life of the chapter's protagonist, most likely dealing with the traumatic events that made them as psychologically messed up as a ... well, a member of the cast of Decadent Habits, but still much less messed up than a member of the cast of Jersey Shore.  
  
However, the dark, unsettling moments that set Evangeline Anasthasia Katherine McDowell on the grim path of the eternal Maga Nosferatu are not, for the moment, to be shared with anyone, and I don't say this because my life and physical integrity, not to mention testicles, have been threatened. It would be ridiculous to suggest that the great Evangeline would descend to such a low move, even if she happened to be real ...  
  
Anyway, on with the show.

* * *

  
_Eighty years in the future:_  
  
While rummaging through a box of old random things, the black haired boy found a dusty set of pictures, and after shaking and blowing the thick layer of domestic dirt covering them, he took a good look at them. His eyes widened with interest, and he absently began rubbing his legs together. His gaze lingered over each one of them, stopping at a few of them to further examine them with enraptured fascination.  
  
"Boy?" the familiar female voice asked from behind him, startling him, "What do you have there, you lazy little bum? Slacking again during cleanup duty?"  
  
"Ah! N-No, no way, Yukihime!" he gasped, pushing the pictures behind his back. "It's just, I found something, I was kinda curious, but I know it's not my --!"  
  
The tall, buxom blond woman hummed, with a fist on a hip, craning her neck over to get a better look at what the teenager was trying to hide. "Oh, those things. It's from when your great grandparents were still dumb kids, and they started fooling around. So, are you finally starting noticing that?" She smirked evilly. "About time; your great-grandfather began when he was only twelve, although, to be frank, I highly doubt it'd have happened without his mother ..."  
  
The boy blinked. "You mean Arika-sama?"  
  
"Ungh, don't call her 'sama'." The leggy blonde winced in disgust. "She was nothing but problems for me from the day your great-grandfather first found her. But for a while, she was contented with just staying under my notice, corrupting what should have been rightfully mine to corrupt, yes, but at least not directly offending me. But that changed shortly before those pictures were taken. You'll see, Touta, she had started to gain dominance over your great-grandparents' ... inner social circle, and so, of course, I had to do something about it. And oh, how I did. I started getting serious that Saturday, when I called Hasegawa Chisame very early to remind her on a favor she owed me. But even I couldn't have foreseen what that Arika bitch would do to me in return ..."  
  
"Hasegawa Chisame? Oh, you mean Granny Chiu!" the boy brightened up.  
  
Evangeline Mc Dowell sighed and rolled her eyes around. "Don't call her that either. That's a grating, bland and stupid nickname. Do you want your brain to rot like your great-great-grandfather's? Anyway, I guess you're old enough now to listen to this story, so you'd better hear it before we head for the Elevator ..."

* * *

  
_Now:_  
  
Hasegawa Chisame didn't really want to be there, sneaking out of her dorm room that early that morning, hastily making her way towards the woodland area without being sighted. Since it was a free day, most girls were sleeping in, and she had made sure to go out only after Kagurazaka had passed by delivering their newspaper, but Setsuna and Mana often did randomly timed patrols, and it was not unheard for Itoshiki-sensei to look for new trees to hang from around there, which meant his creepy (yet oddly cute, not that Chisame would admit that even to herself) stalker would be close by. But not today, apparently. Good. Perhaps.  
  
When she was three blocks away from the outer limits of the dorms, her cellphone rang, startling her. She stopped herself from stumbling by supporting herself on a tree, then fished the phone out with trembling fingers. "H-Hello? Chisame here, what's up?"  
  
 _"What manner of greeting is that?"_ Evangeline' voice asked her. _"It's too friendly for you, but not innocent sounding either. You'll raise suspicions either way."_  
  
"What the --" Chisame hissed under her breath. "How did you get my number?"  
  
 _"Anything that Chachamaru gets, I get. Did you get past Boya's mother?"_  
  
"Yes, I did, although we'd have a lot of explaining to do if I hadn't yet when you --"  
  
 _"Are you sure?"_  
  
"She isn't jumping on me right now, so yes, I did!" Right after saying that, Chisame looked back over her shoulder. Still nothing. She sighed in relief.  
  
Evangeline hummed as approvingly as she could. _"You studied the map I gave you after classes, didn't you?"_  
  
"Yes, of course I did."  
  
 _"Yes, what?"_  
  
Chisame ground her teeth. "Yes, Master Evangeline ..."   
  
 _"Did you memorize it?"_  
  
"Yes, Master Evangeline ..."  
  
 _"But you still are carrying it on you, aren't you?"_  
  
"Yes, Master Evangeline ..."  
  
 _"Along with your borrowed dagger? And the key you'll need?"_  
  
"Yes, Master Evangeline ..."

_"You can stop repeating that, girl. I'm not finding it amusing. Keep yourself on the move. Leave no tracks. Like you learned at the resort."_  
  
"I'm on it!" Chisame protested, moving swiftly through the forest. "This won't take long, will it? Soon, Arika, Negi, Hakase and the weasel will notice my absence, and look for me, and --"  
  
 _"I will keep them entertained. Don't fret. You'll be given a comfortable span for your assignment, unless you mess it up like a loser."_  
  
"I won't! I'm not a loser, dammit! Why do you have to be so --" She stopped. "Wait. You aren't going to do anything too evil, are you?"  
  
 _"Not more evil than what you're going to do, girl."_  
  
"That doesn't fill me with a lot of confidence."  
  
 _"Too bad. You should have thought of that before striking an alliance with me. Don't worry, it's only going to be a little distraction ..."_  
  
In the basement of her cabin, the small blonde smirked as one of her maid dolls dumped the unconscious petite form in a lab coat, fresh from her way to her laboratories, before McDowell's bare feet.  
  
 _"... and I'm going to be just as distracted as them!"_

* * *

  
_One really awkward awakening later:_  
  
"There's something I'd like to ask you," Satomi said hesitantly. Uncomfortable beginning to what would likely be a difficult conversation, but it couldn't be helped. She had the nagging sense, though, that it seemed very familiar somehow.  
  
"Then ask," Evangeline replied, lips starting to turn up in smirk as she stood watching some distance away.  
  
"Why am I chained up like this?" she asked, craning her head back to look up at the manacles around her wrists, attached to a thick chain reaching up into the ceiling, which pulled her arms high above her head. Her legs were made to stretch down by a pair of manacles around her ankles that were chained to the floor. Aside from those, she was wearing nothing more than her bra, panties, and socks, accessorized by her glasses and hair ties. It was rather cool in the dank dungeon room.  
  
Eva, of course, was wearing her usual lingerie-esque outfit and not even a little bit bothered by the chill or the damp. This could be deduced by the way her smirk had blossomed into a full, teeth-clenched, fang-exposed rictus grin. "Because it is my will that you be so chained, Hakase Satomi," she almost hissed. "And in this place, though all the rest of the world may conspire to thwart my designs, here, my will is supreme!"  
  
"... you realize that you're talking like a supervillain, now?"  
  
"So be it!"  
  
"Oookay, then. Anyway, your answer doesn't really answer my question," Satomi continued. "It's kind of like asking, 'why is the sky blue' and being told 'because God wanted it that way'." She managed to use her fingers to make quotation marks around a certain capitalized word in her sentence. "It just defers the answer, and --"  
  
"It is my will," Evangeline interrupted, guessing where this was going to lead, "because this is the beginning of my long-delayed vengeance upon you!"  
  
"Vengeance?" Satomi repeated, blinking confusedly.  
  
"Yes, vengeance!" Evangeline repeated, clearly savoring the word. "Perhaps you had imagined that I have forgotten that I swore to have my revenge for what you did to me, when you seized control of Chachamaru and twisted her to attack me, her master!"  
  
Telling her about Chisame now would be pointless. Besides, first things came first, and she had delayed her vengeance long enough by now. Taking it as part of her ultimate plan was a delicious and no doubt clever way to kill two birds with a stone, but there was no need to muddle things by over-explaining them.  
  
Satomi blinked some more, and then said, "Oh. Well. I guess you could say that I imagined that you forgot that event. Except that wouldn't really be completely accurate, because I didn't imagine anything along those lines. I pretty much forgot it myself, but --"  
  
"You. Did. What?" Evangeline bit out.  
  
"-- since I didn't remember, it's functionally the same thing, I think. Well, maybe not. Imagining is a deliberate act, after all, where forgetting is more a matter of negligence, and --"  
  
Slowly, under the sound of her words, Evangeline reached up towards her prisoner's neck, fingers trembling with obvious fury. Before they even came close, though, she jerked them back and interrupted. "No," she said. "No, I will deny myself that joy, and gain a greater one by doing so. Only when you beg me will I grant you that release!"  
  
That, at least, got Satomi to shut up. Around then, one of the other robot maids - thankfully, not one of the ones who copied Chachamaru's look -- entered the dungeon room through the door behind Evangeline, and not alone. Sakurako was in her pajamas, and still looked a bit sleepy, though her eyes came completely open when she saw what was going on. "Hhh-hhun!" she said. The gag over her mouth kept her from making much sense, though.  
  
"Sakurako!" Satomi gasped, and then went white. "No. You wouldn't!"  
  
"Of course I would!" Evangeline sneered. "You have crossed one who walks the road of a dark mage - did you think that there wouldn't be consequences to such an act?"  
  
"But, but I wasn't even involved with her when all that happened!" she cried. "She doesn't have anything to do with this --"  
  
"And yet she will witness your humiliation nonetheless!" Evangeline crowed, clearly proud of herself.  
  
"Eh?" Satomi said.  
  
"I said, she will witness your humiliation nonetheless!" Evangeline crowed again.  
  
"Oh. Nooooo!" Satomi cried, but she was basically faking it this time. She'd been terrified that Evangeline would take vengeance by hurting Sakurako, but the vampire didn't seem to be thinking in that direction. And she definitely didn't want to give her any ideas ...  
  
"Now, what shall I do first? To what torment shall I subject you?" Evangeline continued, fingers twitching. "Yes, of course! Let us begin with the degradation of your modesty!" With one sharp fingernail, the vampire sliced open the central knot of Satomi's bra, causing it to burst open to reveal the small breasts beneath. Small, but larger than they had been.  
  
"Oh-ho!" Evangeline cackled. "Someone has been drinking a lot of milk!"  
  
Satomi sighed. "That is a myth," she said, just a bit irritably. "I drink several glasses of milk daily for calcium and vitamins, not because I entertain the ridiculous notion that it will make my breasts grow. My development in this area is entirely typical of persons of my ethnicity and heritage, and I am completely satisfied with it."  
  
"Mmmm!" said the gagged Sakurako, nodding vigorously.  
  
"And so, it seems, are other people who take an interest," Satomi added, with touch of blush in her cheeks.  
  
"Curse your defiance!" Evangeline snarled. She had planned to do a certain amount of pawing and licking and maybe bite the mad scientist a bit -- not enough to draw blood, just enough to make her scream and beg for mercy -- but now she was angry enough to do even more degrading and humiliating things. Why, she would have to ... or she might ... um ...  
  
 _Cripes, why the heck am I having such a hard time thinking of degrading and humiliating things to do?_ she wondered. _I'm evil, dammit! This should be a cakewalk for me! Maybe I should have planned this better before having this gnat kidnapped, but I thought it'd come to me naturally ..._  

* * *

  
"Man alive, of all the stupid things I've ever done ..." Chisame muttered to herself as she trudged through the thick bushes, having to continuously keep branches and leaves off her face. "Why am I doing this, again?"  
  
One of her mouse-shaped electronic sprites appeared floating around her head. "Um, just like every other thing you have done since our birth, for Father's sake, Mother?"  
  
"Shut up! Who told you to come out like that?!" Chisame snapped. "You're supposed to stay in latent mode, merely scanning the surroundings for intruders!"  
  
"Technically," another sprite argued, appearing next to the first one, "aren't we going to be the intruders, venturing into a forbidden area to gain unauthorized access to --"  
  
"Quiet, I more than gained access to that stupid world any way I want to after saving it," the girl mumbled, remembering how she had used her Artifact to gain a link with Asuna while the later had been placed in suspended animation. It was only due to that the rest of the class could wake her up, so Chisame had done the lion's share, hadn't she? Not that she cared to boast about it, but she figured she was entitled to some rule bending after doing so much. "Cheapskates didn't even give us a freaking monetary reward! This is so dumb, if we always had a gateway so close, why did we have to go all the way to Wales?"  
  
"Father wanted to see Nekane-sama again, plus, we didn't even know about this gate yet, and once again, it was closed long ago," a third sprite explained helpfully as it appeared.  
  
"I know, I'm just asking rethorical questions! It calms me down!"  
  
"... you should ask yourself some more, Mother."  
  
"Smartasses."  
  
"We would like to remind you we are technically part of you, Mother, so --"  
  
"Then don't call me Mother!"  
  
They looked truly wounded then, so she lowered her gaze to stop looking at them. But she wouldn't apologize.  
  
Evangeline had been as good as her word, Chisame decided as she made her way along the river. The warning that Chamo would bring to Negi would come just late enough that even if he started pursuing her immediately, rather than going to ... whatever Eva was planning to keep him busy, he'd only have caught up with her now. And since he hadn't, he wasn't going to, and she was in sight of the cave entrance the vampire had told her about. It was too late.  
  
She felt herself wishing that it wasn't, and throttled the feeling.  
  
Less easily banished thoughts had her wondering what Evangeline would be doing at the time, anyway. She had refused to tell Chisame about it. Chisame had tried her best to pry that information from her, but Evangeline had been insistent, and Chisame supposed that it didn't really matter as long as no one was badly hurt and she got what she wante-- what she had to do for the sake of her brother (and the father of her child; she couldn't forget that even if she wanted to.) Demons didn't wonder about those sorts of inconsequential collateral things.   
  
Probably.  
  
And now here she was descending into the Underworld. "How 4-chan," she muttered as she walked into the mouth of the cave. Campbell references, or even those related to Milton and Dante, escaped her. She was no librarian, after all ...

* * *

  
Evangeline looked about for some sort of tool, but her 'dungeon' (really just a set of rooms in the resort's foundation that she used for extra storage when necessary) was empty of implements for torture. Damn, maybe I should have listened to Chachazero just a little more, after all. Wait, what's that in the doorway?  
  
Swift as the thought passed through her mind, her hand was in motion and snatched up the white furry creature that was lurking there. "Well, well, what have we here?" she almost cooed as she wrapped him in one hand and held him up to her face. And then she got her face even closer, and aggressively whispered into his ear. _"Why are you still sticking around? Idiot, you should be heading over to Boya's now!"_  
  
"Oh," said Chamo, putting on a genuinely pathetic look of faux bewilderment as he looked about. "I, I, I thought this was Chachazero's room, she invited me over to look at her etchings, I'll just be going now, have I ever mentioned that I have a wife and kids who will be destitute if I die?" And then added in a very low and shy tone, _"I guess I lost track of the time while drinking, I wasn't trying to get a peek or anything, I was really just on my way out, the thing about the wife and kids is totally true, by the way ..."_  
  
"Silence, sub-creature!" Evangeline roared.  
  
"Yes'm," Chamo said, going completely still.  
  
"So you find my vengeance amusing, aye?" she asked, accent starting to come through. When Chamo didn't promptly answer, she shook him a little. "Answer me! Does it amuse you?"  
  
"Could you make up your mind as to whether I'm supposed to be silent or answer questions, first?" the ermine asked, clearly frightened.  
  
"Yes, it clearly amuses you," Evangeline sneered. "Very well, then. You will become a tool of my vengeance!" She whirled to look at Satomi once more, holding up Chamo before her. "Behold your fate, Hakase!"  
  
"You're going to turn me into an ermine?" Satomi asked, genuinely appalled.  
  
"Mmmmm!" Sakurako sounded in protest.  
  
"Y'know, this sort of thing is really murder on my self-esteem," Chamo observed sourly.  
  
"Oh, no," Eva replied, smirking. "This lowest of low creatures --"  
  
"That doesn't help it much either."  
  
"-- will be the source of your humiliation. Now, you disgusting filthy animal, lick her!" And she tossed Chamo right at Satomi's exposed breasts. He landed, but immediately jumped off again, and dropped to the floor.  
  
"Are you kidding me?" Chamo cried as he turned back to look at Evangeline. "I'm not gonna do something so disgusting, so repugnant, so base! What sort of a sick pervert do you think I am, anyway?"  
  
"The sort that doesn't want to have his entrails exposed to sunlight," Evangeline answered, looming over him with eyes gone rather scary.  
  
"... okay, that's actually a pretty good description of me," Chamo allowed, and ran up the side of Satomi's body once more.  
  
"I'm sorry, anego, but if I don't do this, I'll die!" he explained to her. "And since I don't want to die, I must do this! It's simple math!"  
  
"No, Chamo-san, reconsider your actions!" Satomi objected. "You could probably escape to warn Negi and the others about this, and they'd come to help us! You'd be a hero!"  
  
Chamo considered this, looked at the door. The robot maid was standing in front of it. It obviously wasn't his time yet. "I don't like my chances. I left my ermine flair stuff back in your room, since I didn't think I was going to need it for what I had planned last night. I think we're stuck!"  
  
"Reconsider!" Satomi repeated. "How will you ever be able to look me in the eye after this?"  
  
"Well, since I've actually peeked on you and Lucky-neechan over there making out a few times, and I can still do it after that, I don't think I'll --"  
  
"Chamo-san!"  
  
"I'm really sorry, but I'm just a weak, helpless creature being threatened into things by a more powerful one," Chamo concluded.  
  
" **MUCH** more powerful one!" Evangeline corrected.  
  
"Chachamaru!" Satomi cried out. "Oh, Chachamaru! I know you cannot be too far away from your self-declared Master! Heed my call! Where are you, Chachamaru?!"

* * *

  
"Master sure was nice to give me extra free time today." Chachamaru pleasantly smiled as she played with the kittens at the empty lot.   
  
To give her due credit, she felt it was highly likely Master just wanted her out of the way for the whole morning to carry out some highly questionable scheme. Still, more time with kittens! She had never been programmed with or learned a way to overcome that!  
  
So she kept on playing happily. Then the neighborhood children cheering for her arrived, bringing their own kittens as well!  
  
Satomi never stood a chance.

* * *

  
According to the tale Evangeline had vaguely told Chisame, this entrance to Mundus Magicus hadn't been used for the last fifty years, since even before Konoe-sensei took over Mahora. Once, it had been a clandestine smuggling passageway, but the Kanto Magic Association had wiped out the local smuggling rings long ago, and now the passage was all but forgotten to the magical community at large. Evangeline claimed it should still be functional, however. Chisame figured that if it wasn't, the worst thing that could happen was she'd just wander into an ordinary cave and then be forced to walk out again, none the worse for the wear. At least, she tried to tell herself that, instead of dwelling on the chances of getting stuck between two worlds, or something along those lines.  
  
It was a little too late to go back now, however. While carefully trudging through the wet darkness, she'd noticed the faint but vibrating shifting effect that took place around her after ten minutes of walking slowly, and then she was lifting a foot from one world and setting it down on another. Very clever spellwork, she had to admit!  
  
"Mother!" Pico, one of her sprites, tensed up with a soft crackling sound. "We recognize the environmental patterns of Mundus Magicus in our surroundings now!"  
  
"Great," she snorted, and kept on walking around with a hand on the rocky wall and the other holding her sceptre, which glowed weakly acting as a lantern of sorts. "That means this stupid plan is working so far, but let's not jinx it by rushing to conclusions, okay? Stay low and don't talk unless I tell you to. We could draw unwanted attention."  
  
She saw the proverbial light at the other end of the tunnel, tiny at first, but growing bigger at a faster than expected rate as she kept on walking, despite all her wishes to turn back and run home. It had been far easier than she had expected, which only made her further suspicious. By now, not only she was well aware of how difficult easy-looking magical things always were, but she had to wonder, why hadn't anyone ever tried to use that passage again, if it was so unprotected and so easy to access to? Surely fear of the Kanto Association wasn't that much of a factor anymore, since she had passed though just fine without being stopped by anyone. Besides, why hadn't the Association kept using it themselves? Surely it would be far more convenient than heading all the way over to --  
  
Then she emerged into a world bathed by a grim and ghostly nocturnal haze, and she had a good idea about the answer to all of that. This part of Mundus Magicus was, at least at that time, blanketed over by suspicious looking clouds of festering vapors that stretched all along the valleys she could see from her position at the mountain out of which she was stepping. Those valleys were, from what she could glimpse between the clouds, covered with swamps and wetlands that seemed just plucked out of an old horror movie. Ominous sounding strange animals howled, barked and lamented in the distance, adding to the sinister atmosphere.  
  
Much to her discomfort, Chisame didn't find herself that fazed by any of it. After her first expedition to Mundus Magicus, she had been expecting something like this. As long as this wilderness didn't have any tentacle monsters, she figured she would be fine. She had grown more able ever since, and while she was no Kaede or Ku Fei -- far from it -- she felt confident in her ability to survive as long as she didn't run into any major monsters, an army of bandits, or an arcane sorcerer of untold power. Surely Evangeline would have warned her if any of those lived in the swamp she was supposed to go, right?  
  
"I'm a Grade-A idiot," she muttered to herself, starting to quickly make her way down the hillside, at a pace she wouldn't have thought possible months ago. "Good thing no one can see me now."  
  
Sure enough, somewhere in the darkness, bright pink eyes watched her hungrily. A curvaceous form slithered through the shadows, following her down, with the greatest silence and stealth, leaving nothing but a wet, mucous trail behind.

* * *

  
Back at the resort, Chamo had begun to suckle firmly at Satomi's right breast, his tongue and even his surprisingly sharp teeth employed to the purpose of teasing at its nipple. Meanwhile, his tail -- the dexterity of which Satomi had not heretofore realized -- was wrapped around the one on the left side of her chest, squeezing it a bit.  
  
"Bite bite bite!" Chamo chanted.  
  
"Ah! No, that will huuuurrrrr ..." Satomi objected, even though it was pretty clear that whatever sensations he was arousing in her had very little to do with pain.  
  
"Forgive me these trespasses, anego," the ermine said, managing to sound pious. "We are both of us pawns on the chessboard of life." More than a bit of a leer started to creep into his tone. "And forgive me, too, the trespass I am about to commit against your secret garden!"  
  
"Secret -- wait, Chamo-san, where did you get that box cutter?" Satomi demanded as she saw him holding the cutting implement between his two paws.  
  
"Geez, anego, I said I left my ermine flair stuff behind, not all my tools. D'ya think I'm crazy? And now this device will be put to woeful use! Ah, well, it simply cannot be helped."  
  
"You're enjoying this far too much to be saying things like that!" she objected as he climbed down to perch on her hip and began cutting away at her panties, somehow avoiding even the slightest contact between her flesh and the point of his blade.  
  
"Not so! It simply seems that way! I am attempting to appear as a lecherous cur, the better to lull our mutual captor into a sense of security! It's a clever plan, wouldn't you say?"  
  
"No, not after you go and announce it to her like that!"  
  
"Ah, well, it cannot be helped."  
  
"And you're using that expression in inappropriate ways!" she added as he cut the other side of the panties loose, making the front start to roll back in the direction of her crotch.  
  
"Be that as it may, the time has come for me to go where no ermine has gone before! Nor man, nor woman -- lucky-neechan not quite counting yet." And with that, he swooped down to begin applying the same techniques to another hardened aroused nub of flesh that he'd used on the nipples.  
  
But before he reached it, a hand plucked him up. "Oookay, that's enough of that."  
  
"Nooo!" Chamo protested. "Don't stop me! If I don't do what Evangeline says, she'll punish me terribly!"  
  
"Think about what you just said!" Evangeline snarled as she lifted the ermine up to her face. There were limits beyond which she was unwilling to take this torment. She wanted Arika mad at her, but not Boya himself. Still, a look at Satomi's trembling and denuded form suggested that she'd accomplished her goal for the moment. And so she permitted herself to cackle madly. "At lasssst! Vengeance is mine! Lower the wench!"  
  
Once the maid stopped holding her hands behind her back, and went over to release the chain holding Satomi up, Sakurako was able to get the gag over her mouth off pretty easily. This accomplished, she quickly headed over to the quivering Satomi. "Are you okay, Satchan?" she asked, somewhat anxiously as she knelt down beside her.  
  
"That was very embarrassing," the scientist murmured.  
  
"But you're not hurt or anything?"  
  
"Well, no ..."  
  
Sakurako sighed. "Oh, thank goodness."  
  
Evangeline stopped in mid-cackle. "Thank goodness?! I just tortured your girlfriend! What's wrong with you?"  
  
"Umm, well, I mean, it could have been worse," Sakurako noted, she thought quite reasonably.  
  
"But ... the ... and ..." Evangeline sputtered, gesturing at Chamo.  
  
"Well, I mean, if you really wanted to torture her, you might have handcuffed her and told her that the only way she could get loose was to saw off her own foot," Sakurako offered up helpfully. "Or you could put a mask on her, with a lock on it, and the only key in someone's stomach, and set it up so that if she doesn't unlock it by a time it'll tear her jaw off. Or you could lock her up with one of your dolls to give her a Twilight Dramatic Reading Marathon. Or, well, you could have just left her to Chachazero-chan. I've talked with her, that doll has serious issues. Ooh! Or you could put her in an iron lung type thing, and feed her through a tube to a funnel, and get her to trust you, and when she does, pour molten metal down the tube and into her --"  
  
"Um, Sa-Saku, I don't want to second guess you, but is it really a good idea to give her ideas like this?" Satomi asked, far more hesitantly than was her wont.  
  
Sakurako paused, took a good long look at Eva's frozen horrified expression, and looked back at Satomi. "Yeah, I think we're good." And paused, then continued, just as hesitantly. "And, you know, you did, well, sort of look cute all naked and helpless like that, you know. I'm really kinda turned on right now."  
  
"You're what?" Eva snapped.  
  
"You're what?" Satomi echoed, a little more quietly.  
  
"You are! What!" Chamo said, his tail stiffening.  
  
To Evangeline's annoyance, it was pretty clear that Sakurako was answering Hakase when she answered. "I'm turned on. Actually a lot turned on. You know, this last little while has been a little frustrating, what with you moping so hard after Chao left, and always spending so much time in your lab with Skuld-chan and Rika-sempai and that redhaired German girl, and I've been feeling sort of neglected with you doing that, with no breaks for smoochy face time. But here you are, all naked and embarrassed, and you're turned on, too, see, with these nipples still so hard--" Sakurako paused to flick one of them gently, making them harden even further. "- so really, why don't we just do it?"  
  
It has been said, and said often, that people are liked for their qualities, and loved for their flaws. To someone who prized logic and rationality, someone who almost embodied illogic and irrationality could really only be said to be flawed. Perhaps it was that, in combination with the rush of hormones through her mind, which made Satomi croak out, "Okay."  
  
"Yaay!" Sakurako shouted, and started to pull down her pajama bottoms.  
  
"Woohoo!" Chamo shouted as the panties she was wearing underneath were exposed. This proved to be a mistake, as it reminded Evangeline of his presence. With a glare and a whispered threat for him to go do his part or else, she turned and threw him out the door of the room with great force. Ignoring the rather wet smacking sound (and faint cry of "Animal abuse!") that he made on impact, she turned back to look at the two girls. To her stunned horror, Sakurako was mounted on Satomi's body, with the scientist's face pressed into her crotch as she finished the job of stripping Satomi of her panties.  
  
"Are you seriously just going to do this in front of me!?" Evangeline yelled at them. Had Arika's corruption spread that far? And before SHE could corrupt them herself? Did that infernal woman always have to get everywhere before she did?  
  
"Well, you don't have to watch," Sakurako pointed out. "Ah, see, you're so very turned on right now, Satchan! All wet and gooey here! Let me clean you up!" And with that, she promptly began licking at the flower of Satomi's joy, her tongue giving freqent and delicate attention to the clitoris.  
  
Satomi's head fell back from its position between Sakurako's thighs and let out a sound that was somewhere between a gasp and a scream, her eyes gone almost blank.  
  
"Ah, even as I clean up, it gets messier and messier!" Sakurako claimed, her tone clearly not as dismayed by the circumstance as her words would have indicated. "I think we're gonna have to use some other methods, here. Fortunately, I've got this."  
  
Eva blinked as Sakurako pulled a double-ended dildo out of her pajama top. "What? Where in the world did you get that?"  
  
"I picked it up while your maid was kidnapping me," she explained. "Isn't that lucky?"

* * *

  
After a lot of walking that took her less time than she had dreaded, perhaps because she was going downhill, Chisame made it into the swampy valley blanketed by thick, grayish mist. Cringing, she began to waddle across the murky waters, which were cold and filled with strange little animals that swum around her feet, occasionally tickling them. Looking down, Chisame could more or less see they looked like really tiny eels, or maybe large worms. Either way, they were slimy to the touch, and Makie would probably have fainted at the touch of the first one. Chisame felt disgusted, but successfully throttled the sensation and kept marching.  
  
She consulted her map again, comparing it to the landmarks around her. It looked like she was heading the right way, helped by how the images on the map grew larger on the scroll, giving her a better closeup of her intended path. Okay, now she had gone past what had to be Perdition Rock, and she was doubling around the old and huge Willow of Laments, she only had to keep going straight ahead until reaching her goal, the Cave of the Swamp Witch, and there --  
  
 _Wait._  
  
The water before her was bubbling violently, startling her. Evangeline had promised there would be no big animals or human inhabitants at those grounds ... but only now did Chisame fully realize that still didn't cover quite a few of the other strange creatures roaming Mundus Magicus. _Stupid, stupid stupid!_ she chided herself, sceptre at the ready, the mice projecting an electric barrier around her. _As if the Brat would ever be thankful over this!_  
  
The shape rising from the waters and blocking her way smiled evilly, in a way more disturbing than Eva's, but less than Tsukuyomi's. Which was still VERY disturbing. The clouds unveiled enough of the moon to let Chisame see it was a woman, a tall and voluptuous one, with shiny round eyes and long, flowing pink hair. Blush stickers even bigger and darker than Chao's. A tight short dress that almost seemed spray painted on her clung to her scandalous curves, barely covering the essentials, open enough at the sides to show that she couldn't possibly be wearing any underwear.  
  
And, on the top of her scalp, long, pink ... bunny ears.  
  
 _What the fuck?_  
  
"Why, good evening there," the woman said, with a husky, deep, slow tone that sounded like that of a more mature Tsukuyomi. "How delightful! It's been so long since a tasty cute treat wandered in here ... what's your name, sweetie?"  
  
"What's yours?" Chisame held her ground, not letting her fear betray her. Yet.  
  
"Oh ho ho!" she laughed, placing a dainty hand on her big bouncing chest. "Wanting me to take the initiative? I can do that! I am Melona, first and best, sexiest and greatest of the Swamp Witch's minions! As her retainer, I have dibs on every treat that comes this way until her return!"  
  
Chisame blinked. "Her ... retainer? Of a witch? Wait, wait! A witch sent me here, saying she owned these lands, so --"  
  
"That's a cute story, too," the woman purred, and then something viscous and thick, like a tentacle, wrapped itself around Chisame's ankles, under the water, far beneath the shielding, and tugged her downwards. "But even if it's true, all it means is Master sent me a snack!"  
  
Chisame shrieked as she stumbled.

* * *

  
In the meanwhile, on the Mahora campus, Negi Springfield woke up with a startled scream. "CHISAME! SATOMI-SAN!"  
  
He breathed deep and loudly, supporting himself up with his hands, as he slowly gained awareness of his current situation. He was in his bedroom, again in Chisame's bunk, with a yawning and mumbling Arika rubbing her eyes and looking up at him from where she still lay to his side.  
  
"Son? Is there something the matter?" she asked.  
  
"I ... I had a horrible dream," her son and, to some degree now, lover trembled. "Chisame and Satomi-san were in terrible danger, threatened by some terrifying shadowy figures." He looked all around, startled again. "GYEH! CHISAME! SHE HAS DISAPPEARED!" Then quickly peeked down into the bunk below. "GAH! Satomi-san isn't here either!"  
  
"She said she was going to pull an all-nighter in her lab to catch up on that secret project of hers, remember?" Arika pulled him back to her with a sigh. "As for Chisame, she sneaked out early today, which goes against her customs, to be sure, but I suppose she is strolling around to clear her mind, after all the recent events. Rest. You've strained yourself past your limits with McDowell's training and my rescue lately, and that is making you tense and paranoid."  
  
He pouted. "But it was so real ... maybe we should call them just to be sure?"  
  
"You know how they hate being interrupted and disturbed without a good reason." Arika played the card of snuggling him against her to get him to shut up already. That she liked how his body felt against hers influenced that choice of tactics, naturally. It usually silenced him, but not this time, since he was still muttering about being worried. So she said, "Hakase-san is pushing herself in her research as much as you are with your training, and would you like being interrupted whenever McDowell is trying to kill you? Of course you wouldn't, so please leave Hakase-san to her work. She wouldn't listen, anyways, being that obsessed with her competition against Skuld-megamisama."  
  
"But... Chisame --"  
  
"If she needed you, she would be calling, wouldn't you agree?" she played with his hair. "She is strong and independent, and you need respecting that, much like she respects your own often reckless decisions, and --" At that point Arika's attention was drawn to something else. She knew the sensation well by now. It was hard and pressing against her.  
  
Just to be completely sure, she looked down. It was small, but noticeable even in the darkness. Almost pointy, even, tenting up under the fabric of his pajama pants.  
  
"Let me see if I understand correctly," she hummed, mildly interested. "Having dreams where your partners are in danger gets your cock hard?"  
  
Face beet red, Negi looked hideously ashamed. "I ... it was a special kind of danger!"  
  
"Oh, my boy is growing up so quickly," Arika sighed lovingly while she looked around, making sure the ermine hadn't returned from his drinking binge with Chachazero. The underwear drawer was open but he wasn't there. Good. She began pulling Negi's pants down, taking the underwear along with it. "Just don't get too caught up in those sorts of fantasies. They were your grandfather's favorites, and look where that lead ..."  
  
"M-Mother, I don't know if we really should --"  
  
"We won't go all the way if you don't want to," she promised, since promises cost nothing. "Only oral sex."  
  
"O-Okay, then," he agreed -- maybe too quickly -- bracing himself as her head slowly went lower.  
  
Negi supposed that she'd become quite accomplished with this sort of thing. Well, that was understandable. She'd had a fair amount of practice through the years, with her father and his, and perhaps others beyond them, if her readiness to be with Eishun-sama was any indication. It wasn't as though he enjoyed it, of course. It was degrading and unpleasant for her, and that made him feel bad. No good at all. No sir. Not that he'd ever tell her that. Because that would make her feel bad, of course. After all, this was for her benefit, not his, and if he claimed that he disliked it, she'd be unhappy. Because he had to make her happy in his father's absence, and he could feel her love through the way she licked and suckled on him, and --  
  
Wait, what was he doing? Was he -- yes, without realizing it at first, he had his hands on her head as she bobbed up and down. Like he was guiding her efforts, steering them. Either way, he was more of an active participant in this than he had been, usually, and that made him feel strange. The bad kind of strange, like he was implying she was doing something wrong.  
  
But also, and it hurt to admit it, the not-as-bad kind of strange. The way that she'd felt when he'd first ejaculated into Chisame, and she yelled his name, with such a passion, such emotion. The warm way.  
  
Which was bad! What was he, some sort of degenerate who needed to be ... to use her word ... fucked to feel loved? He had to pull those hands away from her hair!  
  
Unfortunately, doing so would probably hurt her feelings, because in his father's absence, it fell on him, to make her happy, and make her feel like a woman, and be her lover, and --  
  
Ah. There it was, spewing up into her mouth. He clenched his eyes tightly closed and his hips jerked as he shot, shuddering and feeling it run up his spine. Soon he felt her swallowing, then pulling herself up to lie beside him, kissing him on the cheek absentmindedly, and waiting for her breathing to slow back to normal.  
  
"It'll be fine," she said. "And if it's not, we all will make it fine, all right?"  
  
"Okay," Negi said, sounding sleepy again.  
  
A casual glimpse through the window told him it was bright outside, and he should be up already, even if it was a Sunday, but ...  
  
"Thank you, Mother."  
  
... well, anyway. Much like Asuna and Chisame had often told him, maybe it wouldn't hurt to take things easy just for one day. Eventually, they both fell back into their repose.

* * *

  
_Back at the dungeon of SEXY DOOM!_  
  
Evangeline decided not to think about the implications of Sakurako's remark, because she suspected that they were going to give her a serious headache, later. "And how can you be planning to use that thing? Aren't you a --"  
  
"Virgin?" Sakurako asked, then laughed merrily. "Don't be silly, Eva-chan, I'm a cheerleader and in the tail end of my third year of junior high! Of course not!"  
  
Evangeline was too appalled at being called 'Eva-chan' to say anything as Sakurako slid one end of the dildo up into her with a little gasp, and then startled to scissor her hips together with those of Satomi. "Are you ready to feel really good, Sat-chan?"  
  
"I-I-I, aiyaiyai ... yes," Satomi eventually said, forgetting the numerous probing questions she had been thinking about asking, concerning Sakurako's virginity and its loss.  
  
"Well, then, here we go!"  
  
This was not how Satomi had ever imagined that she'd lose her virginity. Admittedly, she'd gotten used to the idea that she'd be losing it to a girl, particularly after last Christmas. (And actually, looking back at it, she'd realized that Chao might have been flirting with her a couple of times when they were working together. It was hard to be sure with her, though.) But she'd always expected that she'd be in bed when it happened. Or possibly a shower, or the bath, or ... well, lying back on a stone floor while Evangeline stared at her hadn't been any part of her visualization of this event. (Sometimes there had been other people staring at her, and/or joining in, but that was a different set of issues.)  
  
Yet here she was, watching Sakurako lubricate the top of the other side of the dildo, rubbing it up against her vulva and clitoris in ways that caused rather exciting sensations. And then its head was sliding up into her, spreading the walls of the passage further than her rudimentary explorations with her fingers had ever done. There was an instant of shocking pain, and then she could feel it moving even more deeply yet.  
  
She wanted to say something silly and sweet, like, "We're one." But it was strange. It didn't feel like they were one, not really. Sakurako was over there, hunching her hips to make the dildo move back and forth inside of her, not in her arms, or pressed up against her. They weren't really touching; it was more like they were using the same object as an object of onanism. It felt ... good, but there was an emptiness, too.  
  
And then her hand, shaking a bit with the sensations she was feeling, found Sakurako's hand, and the two hands clasped together. She looked at it, looked up the arm attached to it, and found Sakurako's sweetly smiling face, just as the other girl chose that moment to say, "We're one."  
  
The emptiness was gone. "Yes," she said back. It was all right now. She would never be able to say things like that with a straight face. But the silly person could, and that would make it all all right ...  
  
The final rush came. (Oh, she thought vaguely, that must be why they call it that.) Its kind was familiar to her from the nights spent alone and masturbating to fantasies of Kazuya-sempai, even if its degree was unlike anything she'd ever known before. It made her fall back, losing the sight of Sakurako's face for the dimly lit recesses of the room's ceiling. But she never let go of her hand.  
  
And apparently that helped to pull Sakurako up, so that a few moments later, she was bending over Satomi's supine form, leaning down to kiss her, once more, and say, "My turn next, right?"  
  
"No!" shouted Evangeline's voice. "Not your turn next! Get out of here next! Both of you, out, out!"  
  
"But we can't leave for a day after we came in, so --" Sakurako pointed out.  
  
"OUUUUUUT! Go down to the beach, go fly a kite, go do whatever you want but get out of my house!"  
  
As they walked away holding hands and giggling, one of the maids approached the fuming Evangeline. "Is this the standard procedure for keeping hostages, Master?"  
  
The vampire tossed up her hands. "Of course not! But then, this isn't an standard place to keep prisoners either! It's not like they can escape on their own, so let them be, as long as it's out of my sight! I'm just going to take a bath until Boya and his mother arrive," she grumbled, miserably dragging her steps out of the dungeon.  
  
Once alone, the maid stood perfectly still for the next few moments, until she slowly knelt down to lick at where Satomi's ass had touched the stone floor.  
  
Somewhere else, for some reason, Chachamaru felt quite the awkward shudder.

* * *

  
When Chisame woke up, she found herself, somewhat predictably, naked and straped to a massive stone lab, lying on her back and with her wrists and ankles manacled by pink, slimy blobs, inside of a dark and smelly cavern. From Evangeline's descriptions, it was exactly the cavern she had been sent to infiltrate, so in a way, that was sort of distantly perhaps good. That didn't stop her from berating herself -- _Stupid, stupid, stupid!_ \-- as she saw her clothes scattered around the slab, and the bunny eared monster woman toying with her sceptre, obviously having no idea on how to use it since she kept zapping herself.  
  
"Ah, you're awake at last," the woman told her, without looking at her yet. "How do you make this thing work? It has to the the strangest vibrator I have ever seen, and I have seen many!"  
  
Chisame sighed deeply. "Why are you keeping me here, like this?" she asked, trying very hard to keep herself from screaming and/or shouting.  
  
"Well, you're a intruder in my Master's domains, so what did you expect for, tea and cookies?" the woman shrugged. "I had to undress you, see if you were packing any weaponry that could hurt me, and wait for you to wake up for questioning. That's it, actually."  
  
"Is it?"  
  
"Oh. Oh, I get it. Since I'm a buxom, gorgeous slime and I gave you the standard teasing and cruel greeting intruders get, you were sure I'd use my mucous tendrils to rape you, didn't you? That's such unfortunate, ugly stereotyping! Why does society keep looking at us that way? We slimes are hard working members of the magical community, you know! And we could do so much more if we weren't always treated like outcasts! That, sadly, only perpetuates the tragic conventions we are saddled with! The most weak willed of us just accept your heartless human propaganda and keep raping peoiple and working as low level cannon fodder for dark overlords and their armies! It's an outrage, I tell you ... you ... umm, what's your name anyway?"  
  
Chisame blinked. "Ah ... Chisame! Hasegawa Chisame! Evangeline McDowell sent me here!"  
  
"Oh, suuuuuure thing! Lady Evangeline, the queen of the night, the greatest unliving mage, sent you, a weak and pathetic meat puppet, to her domains without telling me, her faithful retainer, first! I'm so believing that, darling."  
  
Being on the other side of the condescending snarking felt awful, Chisame decided. Was that how Negi and the others felt all the time around her? Maybe she should cut back on it from now on ... nah! Unlike her, they deserved it.  
  
"I'm serious!" Chisame protested. "How would I even know about this place and Evangeline if she hadn't sent me herself!?"  
  
The woman scratched her head for some moments, then shrugged. "I don't know. That's why, you know, you are tied there in humiliation so you can confess how you learned it. Wasn't that obvious?"  
  
"Don't get snarky with me! Geez, if you don't believe me, look for the key in my clothes! Evangeline gave it to me! She said something unlocking the Heart of the Mind with it."  
  
The slime woman tensed up. "The Heart of the Mind!"  
  
"Do you know what that is?"  
  
"Know it? It's what I've been guarding all these years! It's what should be mine after my centuries of loyal service! Like Nifelheim I'm leaving it for some puny clueless human to have!" She quickly squirmed over to the discarded clothes, rummaged through it, and pulled the small golden key out. "Ah-hah! Yes! This is Melona's greatest time of triumph! This ... this ... this key is much too small for the lock of the Heart of the Mind. What are you trying to pull here, you little idiot?!"  
  
Chisame blinked. "What? Hey, hey, listen! I don't know the first thing about that lock, other than that key is supposed to open it! Maybe, if you explained it to me?"  
  
Melona snorted. "Why should I bother to explain it to a dumb human? You're not worth it, sweetie. I'll do something better; I'll show you. Not like you can escape me, anyway." She snapped her fingers, and the binds holding Chisame's feet oozed back into her, melding into her skin, which made her giggle. Then she roughly grabbed Chisame's still manacled wrists, pulled her up, and began dragging her further into the cave, still naked. "You should consider yourself fortunate! Even though you'll never leave, you'll be the first human in two centuries to see the Urn of the Heart of the Mind!"  
  
"That's kind of an awkward phrase construction, you know."  
  
"Shut up! This is a swamp, not a Linguistics Academy! Foreigners, thinking they know our common tongue better than us!"

* * *

  
Albert Chamomile came to a halt right outside the dorm building to catch his breath. Maybe that idiot Kero was right and all those cigarettes were getting him out of shape? Nah.   
  
He had been running all the way since the hour/day passed and he could leave Evangeline's resort. After all, failing her was not an option. He had the horrible sinking sensation that, if he did, he would be the next one to suffer from indignities in her dungeon, but without any pretty girls to please him.  
  
The ermine sneaked in, zipping past between the legs of Tokiha Mai as she left for her job, and taking the chance to get a good upskirt look at her. Izumi Ako, who was also heading out for her coaching duties, waved a greeting at him as they met in the stairs, but for once, he was in too much of a hurry to even notice her.  
  
Leaping in through the small ermine door, he slid into Negi's living quarters, flailing his short legs and crying, "Bro, Bro, Brooo! You've got to help me, ah, us! Evangeline-sama has ... uhhhhhhhhhh ..."  
  
Princess Arika had just stepped out of the kitchen, with a frying pan in a hand, to see what all the commotion was about. That was not the thing that made Chamo stop dead in his tracks, eyes bugging out. That was owed to the fact that Arika was fully naked save for a white apron.  
  
"Chamomile? You would better have a very good reason for disrupting our peaceful family quality time with your hystrionics."  
  
 **"WHA-OOOOOOOO!"** Chamo rocketed up, fueled by a geyser of his nose blood.  
  
"And you will clean all those stains from the floor, as well," Arika stated, calm and decisively.  
  
Negi walked out of the bedroom buttoning up his shirt and yawning softly. "Mrrmmm ... Chamo? Why are you so agitated, did Chachazero ... GAHHH! MOTHER! Pluh-please put some clothes on!"  
  
She looked at him. "Why? You weren't complaining while I showered you, and then when we --"  
  
Chamo propped his bleeding face up from the spot of the floor where he had landed, or rather crashed. "What, what, what is that, why are you, I don't think I even ... ahhhhhhh, never mind that now! Bro, Sexy Arika-sama, I bring forth terrible news! Evangeline-sama has kidnapped Satomi-Anego and Lucky Nee-chan and is ... torturing them!"  
  
A deadly icy silence fell over the quarters.  
  
It was broken by Negi asking, "Seriously? Oh, please, Chamo, it must be a misunderstanding. We're talking about Master Evangeline!"  
  
"The sinister Queen of Puppets!"  
  
"One of my students."  
  
"The blood sucking vampire witch!"  
  
"My best teacher."  
  
"Someone who laughs at others' suffering and misery! Especially mine!"  
  
" **Everyone** laughs at yours, I'm afraid," Arika quietly intervened.  
  
"She just has an eccentric Scottish sense of humor, Chamo," Negi told his old friend. "Are you sure you aren't just misinterpreting her actions?"  
  
"No!" The ermine stomped a foot for emphasis. "She had them, that is, us, kidnapped and taken to her dark, hideous torture cellars! I barely escaped with my life!"  
  
Arika folded her arms. "I don't believe you. Had she truly intended to keep you a prisoner, you would never have been able to escape her domains."  
  
"Hey, don't underestimate me, please! I have escaped some of the best magical prisons ever built --"  
  
"Ah?" Negi asked, baffled.  
  
"-- but never mind that now," the ermine quickly moved along. "Their lives might be in deadly peril as we speak!"

* * *

  
They rolled across the golden sands of the beach, in the nude, kissing and groping each other.  
  
"You know," Satomi sighed as her collarbone was licked sensually, "It ocurs to me, we should have been able to leave more than one hour ago. Now we'll have to wait for the current day to end ..."  
  
"Do you want it to end?" Sakurako asked as her fingers moved downward.  
  
Satomi shuddered in delight as her vulva was tickled. "No," she said.  
  
"Great. Same here!"

* * *

  
_Arika getting dressed, another Chamo nosebleed, several Pactio summonings, and a few minutes later, this happened:_  
  
"And where's Chisame, then?" asked Kakizaki, looking all around the overcrowded living room, while Negi, in the background, fretted almost frantically, keeping a card pressed against his forehead and trying to establish contact, over and over. "For all her flaws, she's usually the first one at hand when these things happen."  
  
"She stepped out very early this morning, and now we can't locate her," Arika calmly explained. "However, as I have been trying to reassure Negi, her card would look as inactive as Tatsumiya-san's if anything serious had happened to her, so the most likely explanation is that she simply is out of range."  
  
"You mean, trapped inside of Eva's resort as well?" asked Asuna. "Hey, weasel, didn't you see her there too?"  
  
"Uhhhh ... nope!" Chamo shook his head very quickly. "Only, ah, ran into Satomi-anego and Lucky nee-chan while there, but ... but ...!"  
  
Before his tongue could slip and wrap him up in a knot that would betray his part in the deception, the breakfast table was rattled by a powerful punch accompanied by a strong bounce of firm, big breasts. Suzushiro Haruka, oldest of Negi's Ministra, iron fisted lead of the Mahora Discipline Commitee, had stood up with a fearsome scowl on her face, brimming with indignation. "I always knew that calmatitous vampire woman would betray us in the end, after she got what she wanted! Her type never changes!"  
  
"But she hasn't gotten what she wanted yet, has she?" Saotome Haruna said, between casual, subtle glances split between Arika's way and Asuna's. "Remember, her real goal is the Thousand Master, and failing that, Negi coming up with an escape way for her. This doesn't get her any closer to the former, and only would turn Negi against the latter, so I'm sure we shouldn't be taking this at face value. We should just go there and ask them, that's it."  
  
Ayaka hummed thoughtfully. "For once, I find myself agreeing with Saotome-san. Making rash assumptions and rushing into conflict against an enemy of Evangeline's stature is something only dumb apes would do."  
  
Asuna, who was already at the door with her sword in a hand, angrily turned back and yelled, "Smartass!"  
  
Negi sat back down, breathing in and out very heavily, but somehow keeping himself under control. "I... I concur. Surely Master Evangeline has a good, logical explanation for this. I refuse to believe that she could bring herself to seriously hurt you, her classmates, or endanger your lives. I, I mean, even when she was after me, she used Itoshiki-sensei's students as her minions."  
  
"Y-Yeah, and besides, even if she became insane with blood lust, or something like that, Chachamaru-san would stop her, wouldn't she?" Natsumi hopefully squeaked. "Satomi-san is practically her mother, after all."  
  
Haruka sat back as well, frowning fiercely. "Well ... I'll adhere -- that is the word, right? -- to what our team leader and the majority decide, but I still think, a being of darkness --"  
  
"Negi-kun is a being of darkness as well, Sempai," Konoka gently observed.  
  
"What? Oh, do you mean ... that? That is very different! He has mastered that... demonic nature and gotten the better of it, and --!"  
  
"You could also say Setchan and Kotaro-kun are beings of darkness as well. And that doesn't mean they're evil, _riiiiiiiight_?"  
  
"Well," Suzushiro muttered, "Sakurazaki-san isn't, at the very least."  
  
"I'm right here, Aunt Forehead," an offended Kotaro grumbled.  
  
Haruka gave a dry chuckle, tossing some hair off her forehead, as if to show it off even more. "I know! You should be thankful I'm honest when it comes to my feelings about you, Inugami-kun. Most of my colleagues are apportraitively afraid of telling you they think you're a vulgar rascal."  
  
"I thought that was general knowledge that didn't need to be shared openly!" Ayaka said. Kotaro tossed a feral growl her way.  
  
"The correct term is 'apparently', Suzushiro-san," Arika said, inwardly pondering how to steer this stubborn and sometimes obtuse young woman into her son's carnal inner circle ... and, for a wonder, considering whether she actually should. "Regardless, we are spending too long discussing these events instead of actually reacting to them."  
  
"You are correct," Negi stood back, gesturing for his staff and recalling it to his hand. "Even if this is Master's idea of a game, it has still gone too far. A line must be drawn at some point for everyone, even for her."  
  
"Oh, the Let's Get Dangerous Disciplinarian Teacher Mode!" Misa swooned, clasping her hands together.  
  
Misora looked at her. "You know, for someone whose supposed best friend is trapped there too, you're very chill about this." Sitting on her lap, Cocone nodded her silent agreement.  
  
"Oh, Saku-chan will be fine no matter what. You could throw her into a giant meat grinder, turn it on, and she'd still come out unscathed. She's just that lucky!"  
  
"Or is that just how you are trying to reassure yourself?" Arika wondered aloud, which made Misa flinch for perhaps half a second. "I'm more concerned about Chisame-san, however. I highly doubt she'd ever go alone to try and rescue your classmates, and if Evangeline had her, I'd think she would make torturing her a priority over torturing Hakase-san ..."  
  
"Why would you say that?" asked Kotaro.  
  
Negi sighed, already heading for the door. "That's to be discussed later, Kotaro-kun. Either way, we're bound to learn what's happened to Chisame by confronting Master, so we should rush there NOW. The rest of you stay --"  
  
The girls already were all between him and the door. "Whoa! That was fast!" commented Inugami.  
  
"The rest of us girls, you mean?" Asuna asked dangerously.  
  
"The rest of us girls who won't stay in the kitchen?" Konoka smiled even more dangerously. But always oh so sweetly.  
  
"Ahhhh ... I never meant to ..." Negi gulped.  
  
"Good. We thought so," Misa nodded. "So let's all head there together, then!"  
  
"But --!"  
  
"All there TOGETHER!" the Ministra chorused.  
  
"-- fine --!" the mighty Negi Springfield squeaked like a baby mouse.  
  
Kotaro reinforced his decision to never give his roommates any Pactios.

* * *

  
Meanwhile, Melona led Chisame down to the end of the cavern, taking her into a sinister, wide round chamber made of vulcanic black rock slabs, and lit by torches. The ground under Chisame's bare feet felt uncomfortably hot, and the air smelled of decay and pestilence. Melona was obviously not much of a home-maker. Presiding over the chamber, there was a grotesque gigantic statue of a woman armed with long claws and sharp fangs, and at its feet, there was a long black coffin that was big enough to contain at least four men of Rakan's size, probably with room to spare. The coffin was sealed with dozens of chains wrapped all around it, and in the middle of those, there was a single lock as tall and wide as Chisame's head. Obviously, it was far too big for the tiny key she had kept in her small hand.  
  
"Damn it, she trolled me," the girl deadpanned, then looked all around. "You know, this place is so cliche, I'm only shocked there aren't any human skulls across the floor."  
  
"I am a good home-maker," Melona stated very seriously, with a hand on her large assets. "What kind of lazy slob do you take me for? Again with the stereotypical discrimination?"  
  
"So ... what do you do with them?" Chisame asked, supposing it didn't make a difference for her own fate if she asked or not, by this point. Might as well try to befriend the creepy weirdo. It had kind of worked more than once.

* * *

  
_Back to the Future..._  
  
"Wait, wait!" Touta said. "I don't get it."  
  
"What a surprise," his caretaker said.  
  
"Who was the ugly woman in the statue?"  
  
"Who else could it be? ME! I was the owner of those grounds, after all! The locals once worshiped me as their dark goddess!"  
  
"Then, why was it ... ugly?" he said, looking up and down at her.  
  
"Oh, you stupid flatterer, just like your grandfather," the voluptuous woman said, planting a dryly playful fist on his face which would have knocked out any normal man. "Well, those simple, primitive souls lived in swampland, after all. The environment was hardly conducive to the arts of stone crafting."  
  
Touta rubbed his face. "And ... why did they call you 'the Swamp Witch'?"  
  
"They lived in a swamp, I'm a witch, and they worshiped me. Why do you think, genius?"  
  
"But you never use that title while talking about yourself."  
  
"Does it sound like the kind of title one would proudly brag about?!"  
  
"Then why did you let them call you that?!"  
  
"Because back then I was soft on stupid souls who gave me hard times! Now I'm not, so you'd better just shut up and let me continue already!"  
  
"... alright," he nodded. "Geez, what a hothead. Anyway, what did you do then, about the people about to invade your home, I mean?"  
  
Yukihime smiled cruelly. "Oh, I was ready for them, of course! I would give them the worst time of their miserable lives! Soon, they would learn to never wander into Evangeline McDowell's premises when they weren't wanted!"  
  
"But ... you DID want them there, didn't you? That was why you kidnapped those two girls as bait to lure the others into --"  
  
"SHUT UP AND LET ME CONTINUE, BRAT!"

* * *

  
"It's been a puzzle for me over decades, since the Master left," Melona brooded, chomping on her right thumb as Chisame examined the lock as best as she could. "Not that I was trying to take her treasure and see if I could use it to overthrow her, or anything like that. Even so, I deserve it, don't I? I have been at this post, loyally guarding her grounds, alone for long years of abstinence in every sense of the word, without ever receiving a call, a word of congratulations, a --"  
  
"She won't be coming anytime soon," Chisame said, peeking inside of the huge lock, then looking at her hand and the key in it. "She's currently ... very busy with important matters on Earth. Look, I think I can get this thing open, but I need you to swear not to hurt me afterwards, and to release my hands first."  
  
Melona sneered deeply, in a nearly disgusting fashion. "Oh, sure thing! You're going to open that gigantic lock with that tiny key, aren't you? Are you delusional on top of everything else, Skinny?"  
  
"What do you have to lose?" Chisame barked back. "Are you that insecure? Worst case scenario, I fail, I'm the screwed one, you're just left the same way you already were!"  
  
Melona wagged a finger, and with it, an extra finger she had sprouted from her right ear. "No, no no no. Worst case scenario, you trigger some sort of trap within the lock that kills us both. Why do you think I haven't tried to crack it open or blow it up myself? Master leaves absolutely nothing to chance! Also, second worst case scenario, you unlock the Urn of the Eye of the Mind successfully, and then you turn it against me. I'm not letting that happen."  
  
"Well, it's your word against mine! I'm trusting you not to turn against me after I pull the damn thing out, so why can't you trust me in turn?"  
  
"Because I'm smarter?"  
  
"What kind of cowardly demon are you? Why can't you take such a simple risk against a puny human like me? Evangeline would laugh at you if she could see you now!"  
  
That made a bright shade of red rise very quickly up Melona's face, and steam literally blew out her ears. "Cowardly?! ME?!" She bared all her teeth, making Chisame wince, but then, despite her worst fears, the monster woman withdrew the pink slime manacles from Chisame's wrists, absorbing them back into herself. "As if someone like me could ever fear someone like you," she said, poison dripping from every syllabe. "Try your best, yapping twig."  
  
"Thank you," Chisame coldly said, extending an arm and recalling her sceptre back to her hand from the other end of the cave, making it quickly fly to her fingers, after zooming between Melona's perky ears. The monster woman adopted a battle ready stance, slime tendrils jumping from several different points of her anatomy. Not including the crotch, thankfully. "Relax, I'm not that desperate," Chisame told her. "I already lost to you once, and I'm in your own turf, do you believe me suicidal?"  
  
"Are you going to use that ... Artifact to unlock the coffin?" the woman narrowed her eyes. "I have told you, it won't work --"  
  
"No, actually, this is just insurance in the event you DO decide turning against me after all," Chisame explained, aiming it at her with a hand while the other, holding the key, began worming as best as it could inside of the oversized lock. Chisame bit her tongue. If this failed, she might lose her hand, or worse. Far worse. The slime woman stretched her neck until her face almost was against the lock as well, while Chisame's sceptre pressed against the valley between her breasts. And then, there was a small, tingly sounding click.  
  
Melona used one of her ears to facepalm. "All this time, and it never ocurred to me! I'm such an idiot!"  
  
"I rest my case," Chisame, not sounding different at all but nearly exultant inside, pulled back from the much smaller lock inside the lock, and once her hand was out again, the lock plummeted down, and the chains began to retreat back as if gifted with a life of their own. The coffin's cover blew open despite its massive weight, sending thick clouds of dust in all directions, and as both females coughed loudly, the Heart of the Mind stood revealed at last.

* * *

  
"We should have called Tatsumiya-san for this," Negi observed, grimly looking down the hill, at the small cabin in the valley he, his mother, his familiar, his best friend and his Ministra were overlooking. "She knows far more than any of us about infiltration and rescue missions."  
  
"She will be the last card help up our sleeves if we fail," Arika said, standing next to him, absently checking on the knives attached to her waist and legs. "Sasaki-san, Kasuga-san, you are to stay here as our rear guard. If we don't come back out after a hour, contact the Headmaster and Tatsumiya-san, and tell them everything that is transpiring here."  
  
"What? Aren't you making me come along?!" a bewildered Misora asked.  
  
Arika looked at her. "Are you volunteering?"  
  
"N-Not at all! I mean, it's kinda weird, you guys are always dragging me along, because of my speed, and--"  
  
"Your speed is of more use out here," the blonde said. "If we are trapped inside, speed will be of vital esence in mounting a rescue. And should Evangeline send minions out to deal with you, without us at your side, your only chance will be escaping as quickly as you can go."  
  
"If even Negi can't triumph against Eva in there, who on Earth will have a chance to rescue us? Superman-sama?" Misa wondered. "By the way, no offense, but as the leader of Ala Alba, shouldn't Negi be calling the shots in this operation? Like, you know, in every other one before we rescued you?"  
  
Arika shrugged her shoulders vaguely. "Negi's leadership ... shows promise, but has he ever led a whole army into battle?"  
  
"Point."  
  
"Just out of curiosity, how many of those battles did you actually win?" Asuna asked.  
  
Meanwhile, Makie looked at Yuuna. "Yuuna-chan, not to be negative or anything, but --"  
  
"I'm not dying there, so no, don't even think of keeping any of my stuff, and especially not my shoes and CDs," the other Sports Girl present said.  
  
Makie closed her mouth back.  
  
"On the move," Arika said in a low voice, starting to slide downhill, leaving a muttering Asuna behind, unsatisfied her query hadn't been answered or even acknowledged. The rest of the rescue party followed the Princess very quickly, as stealthily as they could.   
  
"This is so pointless. Evangeline-san surely has the whole area superviewed, no way she can't see we're heading straight there like sitting ducks," Haruka mumbled.  
  
Makie, Misora and Cocone stayed very, very quiet and close to each other, sitting in the bushes.  
  
"Misora-chan?"  
  
"Hmmm?"  
  
"There's something I've been wanting to ask you," Makie said very quietly, once the three of them were alone.  
  
"Then ask," Misora huffed, really not in the mood for conversations with Makie of all people, but well aware it was going to be a maddeningly long hour without anything to keep her mind mostly away from her fears.  
  
"You're fucking Negi-kun, aren't you?" Makie asked out of the blue.  
  
Misora collapsed face-first to the grass.

* * *

  
Walking into the cabin itself had been surprisingly easy for half the party, dreadfully as expected for the other half. The door had opened from the inside as soon as Negi knocked on it, and then there was only silence. Chachamaru was conspicuously absent from the creepily quiet and empty living room.  
  
"Master?" Negi called out, refusing to hold his staff in his hands, despite every last one of her Ministra holding their Artifacts tightly, and his mother keeping her flexing hands close to her knives. "Master, where are you? And please, where are Hakase-san and Shiina-san? And Chisame-san?"  
  
"This isn't going to work, not going to work at all," Natsumi whispered under her nervous breathing.  
  
"Master! I know you can hear me!" Negi raised his voice.  
  
Still no reply.  
  
"She wants us to come to her," Arika said tensely. "Since we have entered her home, let us not disappoint her."  
  
Haruka smirked, with a nearly feral glint in her eyes. _On second thought_ , Arika pondered, _perhaps I can get to like her after all_. "Precisately my opinion. Let's go."  
  
Without Chisame, Haruka was Negi's second-at-command in Ala Alba, and with her, him, Arika and Kotaro advancing with no further hesitation, the rest of the group could do nothing but follow them, more or less keeping up with their pace, Natsumi, Konoka and Setsuna closing the formation.   
  
"Maybe," Haruna mused, after they cleared the first couple of rooms and began making their way down the stairs to the basement, "we should have stopped by at Kaede's to make a quick Pactio with her before coming here ..."  
  
"See, I was telling you!" Chamo protested, clinging to Negi's right shoulder. "It'd have been a huge help at Ostia, too!"  
  
"It's a bit late to wonder about What Ifs now, don't you think?" an exasperated Asuna sighed, walking elbow to elbow with Ayaka. They had made it to the end of the stairs now, and stood before the bottled up resort. "Okay, here we are, now what? Aren't we going to leave anyone else here too, just in case?"  
  
"No, we aren't leaving anyone alone INSIDE McDowell's domain," Arika told her. "From here on, we need to stay together to stand any chance of survival."  
  
"Guys?" said Misa.  
  
Ignoring her, Arika warmed to her subject. "Who knows the kind of horrors she has set for --"  
  
"Guys?" Misa repeated. She was over the bottle, eyebrows curved, pointing to two tiny ant-like figures at the beach of the resort, one of them trying to cover itself while the other one waved up at them. "Call me crazy if you must, but I think these are Saku-chan and the Prof, frolicking together in the beach, naked."  
  
Haruka did a double-take. "Say WHAT?!" She pushed Misa out of the way, ignoring her angry cry. Her eyes squeezed themselves comically, and she sputtered, "It's, it's true! Why, those scandalous libertines!" You could tell she was livid with anger because she was pronouncing correctly. "Dragging the honor and virtue of Ala Alba through the mud in the enemy's territory! That must be Evangeline's true scheme to conquer us! To vilify us and steal our virginipurity!" Okay, MOSTLY correctly.  
  
Yuuna rolled her eyes. "Here we go again, with the homophobic prejudices of the old school."  
  
Haruka humphed. "What a rude thing to say! I'm no homophobe, no matter what my political enemies may say! As long as they are discreet like Sakurazaki and not flamboyantly degenerate like Fujino, I have no problems with gay voters, I mean, people!"  
  
"I-I-I-I'm not a ... a ...!" a red-faced Setsuna cried, fooling absolutely no one, not even Negi.  
  
"Why, even my best friend has ... _leanings_ of that nature, and I think no less of her for it!"  
  
Everyone else was rattled, although only in Negi and Kotaro's cases it was because neither of them had known about Kikukawa. The rest were far more rattled by the implications of Suzushiro's statement. Did she, after all, know of Kikukawa's blatantly obvious crush for her? Had they underestimated her all that time? (Or, to use her phrasing, misunderestimated her?) Their minds boggled feverishly for a few moments.  
  
And then Haruka sighed grandly, looking aside and tossing her mane of gold around. "I only pray someday she'll realize she shouldn't pine after someone as vile and slimy as Fujino!"  
  
Facefaults abounded. Haruka was oblivious to this, as well.  
  
"Let's ... let's just jump in there already and hope for the best," Haruna mumbled, adjusting her glasses. For once, most of the team nodded at her suggestion.  
  
"With 'for the best' you mean 'inviting us to join in', don't you?" Yuuna cynically asked.  
  
"Your words, not mine," Haruna piously said. She added rather pointedly, "Of course, we shouldn't be discussing this where we can soil Negi-kun's innocence, even if he still can't understand half of what we're saying, riiiiiight?"  
  
Kotaro blinked. "Are you feeling okay?"  
  
But Haruka only nodded. "It's good to see you finally understanding, Saotome. There may be hope for you yet!"  
  
Negi and most of the others looked visibly uncomfortable at that exchange. Although Arika seemed merely amused.

* * *

  
_Several decades from then:_  
  
The boy yawned. "Booo-ring! Why are you wasting so much time telling me about those things? What do we care what those people spoke about, so long ago? I thought this was an action story!"  
  
Yukihime clucked her tongue disapprovingly. "What do you know about setting a story up? You can't tell a tale without explaining the characters' motivations and jumping straight into the action! I thought I had taught you that already, little moron!"  
  
He folded his arms behind his neck and sighed. "Anyway, it's still boring. Look, I'm all for learning more on Grandpa's past, but what if we continue this tomorrow, on the road? I guess it'll help pass the time then and there, at least."  
  
The woman looked sternly at him before relenting. "Very well. You might be right for once. So, do you want to do it one last time here before our departure?"  
  
Despite his best youthful clumsy attempt to look indifferent, it was obvious the offer had been what he had been wanting. No doubt that was the real reason he couldn't focus on the story. "Weeeell ... If that's what you want ..."  
  
Yukihime smirked. "You're as bad a liar as they were. Fine, there's no harm done on fooling around for a while." She began unzipping her tight black pants. "Your technique is still horrible, though. Still not even a quarter as good as your grandfather's back then. You'll be the laughing-stock of the organization once we get there, and I doubt even I can teach an useless dolt like you the full ropes before we get there ..."  
  
"I'll learn!" he hissed, dropping his pants and then yanking his underwear down. "Don't keep underestimating me! I'm always ready!"  
  
"Are you?" she challenged, poking his thing with a finger. "Look at this shame, it's still flaccid. Even when he was twelve or so, Boya's didn't need any more than the sight of this." She patted herself on the panty-covered crotch.  
  
With his face red, he angrily yanked himself twice. "I'll be there in a sec! I was just distracted by thoughts of the trip!"  
  
"Oh, sure thing," Yukihime rolled her eyes as she opened her blouse and her large breasts with no bra hung out. "Maybe I should revert back to my other form? A tiny-dick kid like you should feel more at ease with a little girl."  
  
"Try me, old woman!" he growled, tossing his shirt away. She smiled. Just like Boya, he was well muscled while slim and lean. His dick wasn't as big as Negi's had become when he hit his own fourteenth year, but still reasonably big for a boy his age. And he was hard already. Goading him always worked.  
  
"You brought this on yourself," the now nude woman laughed, and then jumped on him. She pounced on him, toppling him under her weight, and he clawed at her hips, penetrating her with a grunt.  
  
They wrestled more than made love across the floor, rolling while slamming their hips against each other's. She was, despite everything, actually gentle with him, but even her gentleness would have broken any normal man. While Boya engaged in sex out of affection, Touta took it as just another form of physical challenge, and exercise. Even more than Kotaro ever did.  
  
"Harder. Much harder, you pathetic wimp," she growled, scratching at his shoulders, drawing out blood. He didn't cry anymore by then. He had come a long way since their first time, not that she'd ever admit it. " **Harder!** I can't feel anything! I'll have you fucked by him up the fucking ass so you can fucking learn how a fucking man does it!!"  
  
"Nnnn! Nnn NNNN NNNN **NNNNGGGHHH**!" He kept pistoning even harder, his eyeballs looking like they wanted to pop out of his skull, his fists balling up and punching the reinforced floor in rhythm with his thrusts.   
  
"As eloquent as ever," Yukihime taunted him, caressing his cheek with a sharp fingernail. "Just wake me when you're done. I think I'll take a nap and dream of him. Maybe that way, I can feel something!"  
  
"Don't you dare!" he protested, although it came out as a whine more than anything else, although to his credit he didn't slow down. Yukihime relaxed, letting him do as he pleased, until, five minutes later, he sighed, squeezed her pale buttocks, and drove deep into her as his ejaculation spilled forth.  
  
 _"Yukihime,"_ he whispered.  
  
Without looking at him, her eyes nailed on the ceiling, she vacantly toyed with his wild black hair. "From now on, you'll call me Evangeline."  
  
He was ready enough now, she estimated.   
  
The others would like him, although that was because the others always had been idiots as well.

* * *

  
_In the present-day of Mundus Magicus:_  
  
"Is that it?" Chisame asked, warily eying the bright red gem embedded in the chest of the mummified body lying in the coffin. The body had been that of a young woman once, that much was clear; its curves were unmistakable, and the metal mask it wore displayed the features of a classic beauty of the Mediterranean type. All of this made the scene, if anything, just that much creepier. Chisame felt her legs wobbling slightly, but understood she couldn't show weakness now of all times.  
  
"I suppose. It would have to be, wouldn't it?" Melona wondered aloud, one of her ear tendrils hanging over the open coffin, as if hesitating between swooping down to catch its prize or holding back in fear.  
  
"You really don't know?!" Chisame said.  
  
"Hey, what did you think, that Evangeline pulled it out every weekend to show me what it looked like?" the monster woman asked. "It's an ancient relic from the first ages of Mundus Magicus, locked away precisely because it was too dangerous to use!" She licked her own lips in a generally obscene and also greedy way. "The kind of device that shouldn't ever fall into the hands of a simple little girl, but which an experienced --" Her tendril took on the shape of a hand as it descended, but it quickly recoiled when zapped. **_"Eee!"_**  
  
"Don't even try it!" Chisame warned, then mumbled, "Geez, Eva, dropping this thing on me like that ... talk about your poisoned gifts."  
  
Since the slime would grab it if she didn't, and since she didn't want to stay in a stare-down with her all day long, and since she had taken the trouble to come all this way and open the tomb, she carefully reached over with a hand and grabbed the red gem. It felt warm to the touch. She immediately guessed that was not a good sign.  
  
Neither was the way that the tomb shook with a loud rumble. The ground under them predictably crumbled to a lower level. A bothersome flashback of Library Island flew through Chisame's mind as she fell.  
  
Then, in mid-air, she felt something viscous and wet wrapping itself around her midsection, and she looked up, seeing Melona was forming a living parachute-glider of sorts  for her while keeping her firmly grabbed in place. "M-Melona-san...?"  
  
"Drop that thing and I'll drop you!" the slime shouted, gesturing towards the gem still firmly caught in Chisame's hand.  
  
Chisame sighed. "Typical. Most people nowadays only want me to get their rocks from me."  
  
"Eh?"  
  
"Never mind, the joke doesn't really work in your language," the girl muttered as they landed softly on their feet, in the middle of what seemed to be a funeral chamber filled with even more coffins, although those were normal sized and far less imposing. "What the hell is this place, and why did we just fall here? Was that thing booby trapped?"  
  
"It seems obvious that that is the case, doesn't it?" Melona asked, hands on her wide hips. "Just count yourself lucky it didn't shoot a spear through your skull, although odds are it wouldn't have hit anything important." Yes, it felt much worse when you were the target of the snark, Chisame decided bitterly. "As for your other silly question, well, I suppose Master never bothered to tell you that these ruins were, long ago, part of a civilization that built elaborate funeral complexes for their sovereigns, and buried their servants with them. The pyramid built over these caverns was brought down long ago, but the tombs themselves were left, you know, because they were cursed and all." She shrugged.  
  
"You mean like Egypt?" asked Chisame.  
  
"Like what? Oh, that's one of your countries in the has-been world, isn't it. No, this was the kingdom of Amara. The lady in the coffin was its last Queen, who demanded to be buried with the Heart of the Mind. Those stupid superstitious cowards believed her a goddess even in death, so they idiotically wasted such a valuable weapon as a tomb decoration."  
  
Then a loud, angry hiss rose from the profaned grave, just as the mummified figure stood up in a slow, stilted motion that made both of them back away quickly. The bandages fell from the mummy as its skin and flesh regenerated faster than it moved, layers of fresh, healthy tissue replacing the dusty long dead meat and muscle at a breakneck pace. The figure's scraggly scarce remaining hair changed into a short but lifelike crop. The bandages, all save but a few around the arms and legs, fell around its feet, revealing a buxom female body wearing nothing but a jeweled breast plate that reached only midway through her bust, along with striped panties below an opaque cloth at her front.  
  
The figure yanked the mask from her face, which was finishing regenerating at well. Piercing cold blue eyes stared at them, and the figure spoke harshly, in a tongue unlike the pig Latin commonly spoken in Mundus Magicus.  
  
"What is she saying?!" Chisame asked Melona.  
  
"Um ... I don't know."  
  
"You don't know?!"  
  
"How should I know?! That language is from before the Lifemaker returned to unify the nations! All I can understand is her talking about some sort of menace." She paid closer attention to the apparent random gibberish. "No, wait. I think she's actually saying they called HER Menace. I wonder why --"  
  
The revived ancient queen leapt at them, savagely waving her dark sceptre.  
  
"You wonder why?! How can you be that genre blind?!"  
  
"Genre what?"  
  
It doesn't matter a lot, though, since this chapter ends here.

* * *

  
  
**Next:** Melona.


End file.
